Subaru breathed heavily, standing there with his left hand now lowered and relaxed. Scarlet Blackhall, the real name of his most recent enemy, lay defeated in front of his eyes, knocked out in the middle of the road that was the battleground of his death loop. He exhaled, calming his mind down from the surge of adrenaline that coursed through his body. His expression began to calm down and relax, his terrifying eyes still staring at the unconscious assassin in front of him.
His victory did not end in a cheer nor celebration, merely silence from everyone present. To Subaru, the silence was preferable. He, along with everyone else present, were exhausted in both body and mind by the recent fight. Weiss dropped to her knees, supported by Myrtenaster as she tried not to faint. Indigo slowly stood up using a nearby piece of rubble to support her. Beatrice followed the pair, quickly approaching her contractor.
"Is she alright?" Asked Indigo, gazing at him who turned his head to face her.
Subaru nodded, "She's still breathing, just knocked out from that punch." He said, "I'll go back and carry Ruby, we need to get back to Beacon and report to Oz-chi about this whole thing."
"Oz-chi?" Indigo tilted her head in confusion at his term used for what she guessed, the second person she hated the most with a passion.
"I-it's a nickname I gave him the first time we met! That's all!" He hastily explained, flailing his arms in panic, energetic as ever.
"Betty's Subaru is weird when it comes to nicknames, I suppose." Beatrice interrupted, "Betty will check on the Ruby girl's condition if you want before Subaru carry her back to Beacon"
"That won't be necessary, I can do it on my own, thanks for worrying Beako." He said, head patting her as a way of reassurance. Subaru then went over and checked on Ruby briefly. As expected, she's stable and her breathing is normal, as if she's asleep. Subaru can only smile in relief, seeing an innocent face once again after experiencing death thrice over. He then proceeded to carry her from the rubble, she's not that heavy as he initially thought she would be. He then looked towards Weiss who raised an eyebrow towards him.
"Shouldn't it be me that should carry her? Your whole body is probably in a worse condition than mine right now." Weiss said, slowly standing up. She can see that despite his aura, his body is not getting any better, still full of cuts and most of them were deep. Perhaps it's because of how weak of an aura he possessed?
"Well, I did say I was the target. So it's kinda my fault that all of this happened in the first place, right? Plus, only Beako here is left unscathed, we're all pretty much wounded and tired, and she can't carry someone as big as Ruby. And I doubt you can carry her too." He explained.
Weiss can only sigh at his stubbornness before looking at Indigo, who is now carrying her old friend on a piggyback, smiling a little that her old friend is at least alright now. Her stare sharpened up, a bit upset that she's carrying an enemy, especially one who had hurt more than half of the group. She must ask her about this decision, and she would argue about this if allowed to.
"What? Is something on my face?" Indigo asked, a bit oblivious of her mood.
"Nothing, just wondering how are you able to stand up and carry your...friend like that with a gaping hole in your body..." Weiss responded, "While also wondering why you are carrying a potential enemy! Who knows what's gonna happen to us once she wakes up with her aura fully regenerated! If you intend to bring her to Beacon, she will cause even more damage!"
"She is my friend, I cannot leave her behind. And even if she does turn like that once she wakes up, is it even wise to leave her here too? It's better to make it to Beacon where there are actual rooms Ozpin had set up just for this. Trust me, I've seen them" Indigo countered her.
"Even if she is your friend, in our eyes she is not! She had caused more than half of us here pain and exhaustion trying to handle her! She's a burden and not worth saving!"
"So what? I would still bring her over, even if it means risking her hurting you all! While I can't deny the crimes she has committed, Scarlet Blackhall is my friend. To add, both Hyena and her are separate people! Scarlet is brainwashed, and I've been trying to save her for over five years now, you hear me!? I won't have this opportunity to go to waste!"
Weiss sighed heavily, "If she is brainwashed, how are you possibly gonna cure her from that?"
"Simple, this type of mind control is more of a curse, I suppose." Beatrice answered, getting the attention of both of them, "It seems Betty must lecture you all about seals and curses too, in fact. But to put it simply, Betty's Subaru had broken the seal that had messed up her mind to the point that this Scarlet girl had turned into a bloodlusted monster. Betty had detected it and Betty has experience in the field. If you allow Betty to remove any remains of the seal before it can rebuild behind her back, it would be great too, I wonder."
"If it's that easy, why didn't anyone that fought her break it early on?" Weiss asked.
"Seals are naturally unbreakable unless you do one of these two things, I suppose: The first one being draining it completely out of mana, making it prone to physical contact, which Betty's Subaru did accidentally when he is only trying to shut down her aura. The other would be using your own seal to counter it, but both of you obviously know that Remnant doesn't have magical seals. It is also obvious that this curse the Scarlet girl has is not of Remnant origin too, in fact! Betty won't be able to detect it if it isn't!" She explained.
Both stood there a bit shocked at her explanation. Indigo now knows that there's a chance to save her, smiling while looking at her friend on her back. Weiss can only move on, surrendering her ground, ending the argument.
Indigo then looked at her wound, realizing that it's still there. She can feel no pain from it, as if it was not there in the first place. "Right, as for the hole...that'll be for Subaru to answer." She said before carrying Scarlet over to the side of the street, where she then proceeded to place her on a bench, checking on her wounds shortly after.
Weiss looked at him once again with an expression that demanded an explanation from him. "It's one of my abilities I gained back home. It kinda lets me take up the burdens of my friends and numb the pain of their bodies and transfer it to me. Kinda hard for me to explain right now, but I call it Cor Leonis, meaning Lion's Heart." He answered her.
Weiss nodded, briefly looking away before glaring at him again. "Wait a minute, does that mean you're in pain right now?"
He nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes I am. But thanks to certain things I can handle it just fine! Nothing to worry about" Subaru awkwardly chuckled. He knows that he got this kind of pain tolerance from more than just those things. Compared to what he had gone through, these recent events are nothing to him.
Weiss looked at him with a face full of concern, specifically to how his body is currently bleeding out from the number of wounds he possesses, yet he still acts as if he's alright and in prime condition. Subaru ignored her, knowing that he gets that reaction a lot from other people even in the Emilia Camp. "Now to think of it…" He looked at the crash site of the rocket locker near him before he turned to Indigo "If a rocket locker is launched, wouldn't that catch the attention of the teachers and Ozpin?"
"Don't ask me, I don't even know if Ozpin cares about what's happening," Indigo responded.
"It seems that you hate him with a passion," Weiss said.
Indigo laughed, "You have no idea, Ice Queen"
Weiss rolled her eyes before turning towards the sudden intrusion of the blaring sound of engines from above, catching her and the rest of the group's attention. A pair of Bullheads appear in the sky, one of which possessing a red cross painted on its hull, indicating its status as a medical airship of sorts. The crafts hovered over the land in the middle of the road as they turned their side engines vertically to slow their descent. The group looked on before one of the airships revealed Ozpin himself being inside, an amused expression on his face while holding a cup of coffee. Alongside him were Yang and Blake who immediately dropped off as soon as the door opened up.
Indigo looked up at Ozpin staring at her before scoffing, "Way to go to arrive so late to salvage us, Ozpin"
He laughed shortly after the Bullhead shuts down its engines, exiting the craft as he takes a sip of his coffee, "Well it's always important to have a dramatic entrance, right?"
"Tch. Let me guess, you expected that we'll be alright because of some stupid excuse?"
"You are half correct on that part, yes." He replied, before looking towards Yang and Blake.
"You really need to learn how to worry more, Ozpin." She warned.
"Perhaps you're right, I probably should right now." He shrugged his shoulders, taking another sip of coffee, much to the anger of the others.
Yang ignored him as she sprinted towards the group, specifically towards Subaru who was carrying her half-sister.
She regretted that she had agreed to split from her sibling, now due to her sloth, she's facing the consequences of her actions. Even before she reached the group she began to berate Subaru with questions,
"Is Ruby alright!? What happened to her!?" She half-screamed with a face full of worry, befitting that of an older sibling. Yang tried to stifle the tears that began to form in her eyes.
"She is, no visible injuries, just unconscious. Got knocked down hard when she was trying to fight off Hyena," He replied, trying to ease the worries of the blonde.
"Betty and Weiss had managed to stabilize and check on her condition, I suppose. It's only a temporary concussion, she'll be back to full health with proper care within a few days, in fact." Beatrice added standing next to her contractor, tucking on his tracksuit.
Yang nodded, a small smile on her face before suddenly hugging the little spirit in relief, quietly crying. "Thank you for saving my sister! I'm so sorry if I judged and treated you wrong this past month!"
"Get off of Betty, I suppose! If you want to thank someone, thank Betty's contractor! Betty's Subaru is the one who ended the crisis in the first place!" The spirit replied, struggling to breathe as she tried to escape Yang's hug.
Shortly after, Yang released her as per her commands, though not before she pecked her with a kiss to the cheek, earning a blush and a squeal from the little spirit. She then waited for Blake to come over. Blake looked at them before noticing Indigo sitting at one of the benches with her unconscious friend.
"Mind explaining?" Blake asked, "Also, how are you not in pain with a hole in your body?"
Indigo shook her head and shrugged in response before she pointed to Subaru, only wanting to focus on her friend instead. Both Blake and Yang then look towards him, demanding answers. Subaru can only laugh before clearing his throat, he guessed that they want to hear every detail. "It's a long story…"
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Subaru exited the medical ward now all bandaged up and healed. He is currently wearing only his pants with a white T-shirt since his tracksuit was all ruined and dirtied from that fight. He looked across the pristine hallway of Beacon's own medical facility, which he didn't realize actually existed. He wondered just how large the place actually is.
After that battle, the news of Hyena's attack at the store had gone rampant, just within a few hours after the event. He was surprised just how quick the media can actually spread in this new world, with footage from the people around the area about the fight being seen throughout the web when he looks at what's trending inside his scroll. He had become a sort of local celebrity in Vale, with even the students recognizing him as 'the guy that defeated Hyena with a whip'.
"They should really come up with better names for me...even Lugunica managed to call me the Lolimancer" He quietly laughed at that name.
Overall, the situation had somewhat calmed down throughout the early evening. Glynda told the group to not attend combat classes for around a few days, saying that they need to recover back to full health before they can fight again. So for the rest of next week, he'll have some free time to do something that is more fun than listening to lectures all the time.
"Now to think…."
Subaru thought to himself that he should try and visit Ruby and Scarlet's rooms. But he is not sure what to exactly do there. Perhaps he could recap with Ruby? She was knocked out for most of the fight, so telling her the whole event should be his priority. Then again, she can see the news of the fight, that would also suffice.
Or perhaps he can make some closure regarding their relationship? Just so both sides know of their status. He had decided to do so after pondering the topic, now he only needed to think of how to approach the said topic to her. But before he could head to her room, someone interrupted him from behind instead. He turned around to see that Yang arrived to talk to him.
"Have you fully recovered?" She asked him.
"Uhh….yeah, somewhat. I heard you're with Ruby, how is she currently?"
"The nurse said that she would wake up in about an hour or so judging by her pulse. So I'm just here roaming around being bored." She answered him.
"Okay, so how about we choose a topic?" He suggested.
She hummed, trying to think of something, but decided to let him do it, "What about you?"
"For me….my relationship with your sister, maybe?"
"What do you mean? Have you guys decided on it yet?"
"No, not yet. Though it's pretty obvious what my answer gotta be.." He said.
"True, true" She replied, "That will be a no, then?"
He nodded, a bit saddened about the decision, but with a little relief that at least Yang understands. "Yes, I already set my eyes on a girl, perhaps two, from where I'm from. I can't split my heart further just for another one, even if I'm greedy. I just don't know what to say to her without breaking her heart, since I only want us to be close friends, that's all."
"That's...understandable. Want me to bring the news to her?" Yang offered.
Subaru widened his eyes, nodding with a smile, "I'll trust you that you will make it right. Just make sure to go soft on her, alright?"
She snickered, "That's what she said!"
He blushed before laughing along as well, "Never heard that joke in a while. I feel like a kid again. But thanks for agreeing"
She pointed finger guns towards him, "You bet" She responded, "Well I gotta go deliver it now, thanks for lifting my boredom. Oh! Before you want to head to Scarlet's room, it's useless, the room's empty, and I've checked."
"Really now?" He questioned.
She nodded, "Yeah, if you want to meet the others, head to the Headmaster's Office. Ozpin ordered me to tell you this. He's refilling his coffee right now, so ya'll can wait and catch up!" Yang left the scene, waving off before turning to a corner heading towards Ruby's room.
Subaru replied with a wave as well. His task of delivering some sort of closure is done with now Yang being the one who will do it for him. Now he only needs to do one more thing. "Headmaster's Office, right." He uttered before he headed over the opposite direction and left his medical room's door for Ozpin's Office instead. He hates that his plan is ruined and hates how Ozpin knows as well, but if he's fast enough, he should be able to do it nonetheless.
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Subaru exited the elevator and stepped on the topmost floor of Beacon Academy, the Headmaster's Office. He can see three people looking at him, and no Ozpin, he sighed in relief. At least he can talk to the people he wanted to talk to now.
Beatrice then immediately ran towards him and hugged him with all her might, catching him off guard.
"Why are you so clingy, Beako!?" He exclaimed.
"Betty's Subaru is alright, I suppose! He's alright now, right?"
"Yes yes, your Subaru is alright, calm down! What's gotten into you!?" He said, looking at the two assassins, Indigo and Scarlet for help while picking Beatrice up and carrying her like a baby. She can be heard quietly sobbing in his ears.
"Well, she's being restless when you almost died from total blood loss since your wounds didn't heal at all last time, even with aura. You should really pay attention, Natsuki. A few hours can change someone like her when she's separated from you." Indigo explained.
Scarlet looked towards her like she was her only source of information regarding everything around her. "He's the one who saved me, right?" She said to her, her tone still hinting at her confusion.
Indigo nodded, while also assuming that Scarlet's condition is still like that of an amnesiac, she's a bit sad thinking about it. "Yes Scarlet, he is" She answered, "So, Natsuki, what brings you here? Did Ozpin tell you to?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. Yang was the one who told me" He said as he caressed Beatrice's back, her sobbing quieting down with each stroke to the point she felt tired, "So how was everything with you and Scarlet?"
"Well...Beatrice had managed to remove the remains of the memory seal thingy. Scarlet's mind is recovering right now but the scar on her back opened up again, so she's denied access to any activity without me helping her do it. Your spine being exposed to damage like that is not a good thing to have."
"Wait, her spine? Did I do something wrong or too well here!?" He asked, panicking in his tone of voice. He had assumed that the cut was deep, but he didn't think it could be that deep at all!
"Well, yes but actually no. Her natural spine is alright, if you can call a fractured spine that, her bionic one though...not so much. It's damaged, and if it's damaged even further it would just make her be placed on a wheelchair before it is replaced, or shock her entire nervous system and potentially crippling her for good, or just make her drop to the ground dead. So you're fine." Indigo said to him with a hint of worry and anxiety present, Scarlet was appalled by her answer about her own condition. "You're lucky she's not fully immobilized, she would recover after a few good years well enough if you allow her to. Now it looks like I will owe you a lot too. Thanks for bringing her back, Natsuki Subaru."
"N-no problem then…" He responded before looking at Scarlet once again. Her entire posture is more feminine now, and a bit timider with the way she is dressed. She's still in her hospital gown. Under it, her old clothes were removed and replaced with something that would cover her body more casually, a plain t-shirt tucked into a skirt. He also noticed that she's carrying a cane to support herself, was the damage that bad?
"What are you looking at?" Scarlet suddenly asked.
"W-what? Oh, nothing, sorry if I hurt you too badly!"
"It's fine, you did save me from being messed up by that cursed seal. I owe you one, Barubaru"
"Y-you're welco-wait, Barubaru?" Subaru asked in confusion.
"It seems her old habits are coming back slowly" Indigo chuckled a little, "So what do you decide to call me now?" She asked her
Scarlet hummed, "Uhh...Blueberry? Your colour reminds me of them. Is it okay?"
"That will be enough, thank you." She said with a smile. Her friend now is more or less the total opposite of the old Scarlet that she knew in the past. Even her Hyena persona is much more similar to her than this one. But she's happy that Scarlet is at least okay now.
Suddenly, the elevator doors opened once again. Revealing Ozpin, carrying a warm mug and a cane, walking past them and sitting on his chair, taking a few sips in the process. He fixed his glasses before grabbing some paper and tidying it up before placing them in the middle of his desk, hands now placed under his chin. "So, you all have gathered?" He began.
"Yes, are you that blind Ozpin?" Indigo commented.
"I feel like I hate you more than ever right now. Whoever you are, Mr. Ozzy" Scarlet added.
"That makes two then?" Ozpin responded, he knows that the entire room had a general dislike of him right now.
"Nope, four. Beako and I hate you too, more personal and less in general. You just reminded us of a certain clown lord that almost ruined our lives two years ago." Subaru replied.
"Right, well I better get to the topic before I anger you all more then." He chuckled before bringing a piece of paper which he began to read aloud, "Natsuki Subaru, Beatrice, Shiro Indigo, and Scarlet Blackhall. I hereby declare you as team Nebulous, NBSS. With Subaru as team leader."
All of them stood dumbfounded and silent. No celebrations or anything, just pure silence. Ozpin had expected this, they're all newbies to the huntsmen team system. Even if they know that it has been implemented for the past decade. He decided to explain further, but was immediately interrupted by Subaru.
"Wait a minute, this is too sudden isn't it!?" Subaru complained
Ozpin took a sip of his coffee again while sitting laid back on his chair, he had totally expected this. "Elaborate"
"We're all injured and tired over here yet you act like it's all fine! Not to mention that you decided to bring over Scarlet into the fray as well!? I know that she's a different person now and I understand. But you can't just bring someone who is basically an amnesiac into an academy without any good reason to bring them over to a team! And to add, I still don't trust your decision to be wise here, Ozpin. You're just too cocky and uncaring of the people around you, treating them like pawns in some game while only acting like you cared! Tell me, do you even care, or are you just so laid back all the time!?"
"Well, Natsuki Subaru, I do care about this decision if you want to know" Ozpin raised his voice, but not to the point of anger, "You yourself as a person only need to understand the teammates around you and talk to them. All students of this academy started out this way, total strangers and sometimes old friends put into a team so they can work together and bond. Your team is lucky that you all know each other to some extent as fellow friends or allies, and you should be grateful." He explained.
Indigo is silently saluting to the nasty-eyed boy in this sudden argument. Even with how much she hates the headmaster, she herself knows to not talk to him about the matters of the school like you're more experienced than him, unless you're a fellow headmaster, to begin with. She is really in a weird place as she is hesitant in supporting Ozpin's decision here. Scarlet can only watch as the spectacle unfolds, but she is slowly leaning towards Indigo for safety. Which the white-haired assassin allowed her to.
"As for the matters of putting your trust in Scarlet Blackhall. There is a simple solution to it all, talk to her. If you're uncertain of what you should do with her, just talk. We all know that's the simplest of solutions. Do you need a push just for that?" Ozpin said to him.
Subaru can only stand silent, admitting his defeat. Beatrice, who he is carrying right now, yawned before switching the position of her head to sleep better. Ozpin smiled, "Good, now let me elaborate more about the team set-up. If you have any more complaints, you can speak to me personally after this meeting," He placed his mug aside, though not before taking a final sip, placing his hands under his chin before continuing, "let us begin with the dorm placement,"
______________________________
The four people exited the elevator, now at the bottommost floor of the academy. Subaru is still carrying Beatrice, but now she's awake, only wanting to be carried by him because of her being clingy again. Both of them exited first, with Indigo and Scarlet being second and third respectively. The entire mood around them is more or less, both confusing and fully exhausted, but satisfied with the outcome nonetheless.
Indigo looked over to Scarlet, gesturing to her to speak to the nasty-eyed boy who is currently frowning and sitting down at one of the nearby benches of the academy's hallway. "I'll be in our dorm setting things up, don't worry." She smiled at her, speaking in a reassuring tone before leaving, albeit reluctantly.
Scarlet can only nod before heading over to him, walking slowly so as to not accidentally hurt her back. The boy looked at her, his eyes and quite loud yawn indicating his current status, tired and in need of a good sleep. "I realize how much you distrust me. Was your statement true?" She said to him.
"What? No, I think it was just my sleepy brain talking. I just don't fully know how you will act now with how many things I don't understand have gone by, that's all." He answered
"I-I see...I shall try my best to apologize for my actions then...should I?"
"What? No! You don't need to. As I said, that was only an outburst from all the stress I got, don't you worry!"
She nodded, "you're lying, just to make me feel better huh?"
"What?"
"You don't need to hide it. I know you hate me despite your actions. Even if I'm not my old self in personality, I still know when people are lying to themselves or others."
He laughed, "is that your semblance or something?"
She shook her head, "No, it's from natural experience, that's all. Don't hide from me, Mr. Ozzy did say that we should talk to understand each other better, right? Well, I'm doing it with you right now." She smiled, easing Subaru's mind a little.
But it still left him shocked at how much of a different person she is now. Indigo had explained to him that her old and more active and reckless personality should come back slowly, though she's not sure herself, for all they know her personality could change from that of a brat to a fully fledged aristocratic lady. But right now Subaru clearly prefers this more timid and gentle part of Scarlet.
"So, what do you want to talk about now?" She asked him.
"Before we start, I'd like to say this first. I won't forgive your actions easily," He said, Scarlet is a bit saddened hearing that, "But if you want me to be softer and more tolerating towards you, that's fine by me. After all, this is not my first rodeo regarding trust." He laughed a bit at his own statement.
Scarlet nodded. "R-right, thank you for answering. So what do you want to talk about now?"
"Well I always wanted to know more about your past and Indigo's, would that work for you?"
She hummed and nodded with a smile, "I'll try my best. So for first things first," She sat down next to him, looking upwards as she went on to continue her ramble, "if I remember correctly, we were taken in to be trained as assassins by a 'criminal' organization, one of the largest in Mistral, just a few days after we met and became close friends. It was scary at first, but we quickly accepted it as our new family as we went and lived there. We were orphans, all of the members are. So us being together feels like we are a part of a big family, no matter if we're Faunus or Human."
Subaru nodded, taking mental notes and listening to her intently. Beatrice is also listening intently as well, turning her head to her. Scarlet continues, "We stayed there for almost a decade, since we were taken in when we were 6 years old. It feels like home. Even if some of our actions cannot be condemned, and I do agree on that part, it's only a trivial thing to think about, we do it out of solidarity instead of lust for power, even most of our violent actions are directed to those who deserved it. Both me and Indigo are trained to be active killers when we reach the age of 8, but we act more or less as bodyguards for our Godfather, rather than full-time bounty hunters. He cared for us and we do too. But it all changed when The Black Queen attacked me and a few of my comrades that night..."
Subaru and Beatrice widened their eyes, "Who's the black queen?" Subaru asked.
"I-I can't tell you. It's as if she doesn't allow me to talk about her, I just don't know why…" She said, her voice quivering in fear as if she's ordered to not reveal it to anyone, both of them looked at her with worry. She continued, "But that's currently all I know about the past, at least until I get some of my memories back. By then, you all know what happened, I became Hyena and started to rampage across Remnant with her as the leader."
Soon enough, the school bell rings, indicating that all students should enter their dorms. The sky gradually darkens as the moon rises above. "Well, I think that's all for today, we'll talk more tomorrow?" She said, standing up with the help of her cane.
He nodded with a small smile. Beatrice suddenly planted her face at the side of his neck. "Yeah, I think we all need rest right now"
Both stood up and went towards their new designated dorm. Both tired, but satisfied with the outcome of what they had gone through. The day ends with nightfall, as the ring of the academy's bell blares on until it decides to stop.