ATTENTION! This chapter is much shorter than usual. This is because the parts I would have been adding are planned to be in their own separate chapters.
I apologize for this. The word count is nearly 5,000 words, when I like to make my chapters 7,000 to 10,000+. I am sorry.
I hope you all enjoy the chapter. The next will contain more about Y/N dealing with his trauma. This one was a perfect opportunity to further the relationship of a couple characters, and flesh it out with some foreshadowing.
I am sorry if the story does not appear to focus on Y/N very much. One way or another, this will change, even if I must take drastic measures.
What I am trying to do, is outdo myself when I wrote Ruby's death and Y/N saving Vao in the original story. That includes getting everyone attached to the other members of the cast, rather than just the protagonist.
...
Oobleck stared at Vao in silence. There was no way he could have asked that. There was no possible way he could know what he was talking about and still be sane. He must've misheard the femboy. That had to be it. The doctor chuckled lightly. "Forgive me, Vao! But what was the question again?"
Vao took a sip from his flask, his red eyes burning into Oobleck's. "I asked wot a Salem is. I'm lookin' into something, and I need answers."
Oobleck felt his heart rate spike. He didn't mishear Vao. And that horrified him. Oobleck knew he was sweating, and from Vao's suspicious look, he was onto him. The doctor sighed, straightening his tie. "... If you know what is good for you, you'll never ask that again."
Vao was taken aback by Oobleck's tone. Dark and grim, with no hint of laughter. "Mate, are you... Threatening me?"
Oobleck shook his head, pushing his glasses up his nose. "No. It is a warning. Whatever you have learned, forget it. Never look into this matter, ever again. Are we clear?"
Vao was getting angry. He pushed off the roof of the car, flipping Oobleck off. "You know wot mate? Suck on my taint and gargle my balls. Thanks for the Sherbet, now sod off, ya daft cunt."
Vao spun on his heel, walking towards the road. He could feel Oobleck's eyes following him, watching him intensely. Once Vao rounded the corner, he sighed in relief.
Bzzzt.
Bzzzt.
Vao reached into his pocket, fishing out his scroll. Verde was calling him. He tapped the green button, pressing the device to his ear. "Hello, love. I'm heading back to the Club in a bit, I was going to sober up a bit before I visit."
["I appreciate your concern for me, but this cannot wait. Something happened. Please, come quickly to Mr. Xiong's room."
"Oh, yeah. One sec."
Vao hung up, and let himself fall forward. His face mere inches from the pavement, he vanished into a cloud of ash. And in that instant, his feet landed on the wooden floor of Junior's bedroom. The first thing Vao noticed was his team and Cardin. Except something was wrong. Y/N was staring at the ground, his face paler than the snow. His eyes were red and puffy, and Cardin had his arm wrapped around him. Vao cautiously stepped forward, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"... Y/N? Wot's wrong?"
Verde tugged on Vao's shirt, catching his attention. She was pointing at the door, and then him. Vao picked up what she was trying to tell her, following the artist outside the room. Verde closed the door quietly, and once she was sure their voices couldn't be heard she heaved a sigh.
"Vao, he... Rojo... He came back..."
Vao didn't expect that. But that also brought up another question. "Then how is Y/N alive? Sure, he looks like he played in traffic, but... He'd be..." Vao didn't want to say it. The last thing he wanted was to imagine Y/N as nothing more than a corpse. Verde sighed, her fingers entwining with his.
"... Y/N killed him. It was an accident. And now he's... Gone quiet. Sasha and I had hoped that you would know what to do..."
Vao honestly had no clue. He didn't know what it was like to kill someone. But Verde had nearly been correct; if anyone could help, it would be Vao. He knew Y/N the best. But at the same time, he was there wrong one to ask. The femboy sighed, looking back at the door. "... Weiss would probably be better... I'm not a very sensitive guy, and if I say the wrong thing... Dunno wot I'm going to accomplish..."
Verde sighed. "Thank you."
"And Verde?"
"Y-yes?"
Vao didn't seem very comfortable. That wasn't what Verde wanted. She wanted him to trust her. Vao looked back at her, his head still cocked to the left. "... You've been acting... Strange, lately. Whenever we talk about Salem, you get... Excited? I think that's the right way to describe it... You've even been a bit harsh... Are you doing alright, love?"
Verde felt her anger spike. She didn't know why she snapped on Vao. It felt like a topic that belonged to her, and no one else. Not even Vao.
"Mind your business!"
When Verde realized what she said, she covered her mouth in shock. Vao was looking at her in silence. He even looked a bit hurt. "Woah... I was just asking... Sorry... We're all in this Salem business together, eh? I thought maybe you could share wot you found..."
He was curious about it. That was all. Just harmless curiosity. Verde wondered if he'd like to join in on her research. Maybe he would learn something, and see the strange, otherworldly beauty in the strange Blood. Verde contemplated it, but shook her head, squeezing his hands tighter. She would wait, she decided, until she learned more herself. If she learned everything she could, she could share it all in one sitting.
And now, she found herself being called to Vao's room by a silent, noiseless lullaby. Like a siren's song only she could hear. Yet still she was bothered. She snapped at Vao, her first friend, and the first to ever make her feel safe, safe enough to express herself. She knew he was quick to anger; she believed she had pissed him off. She looked down, her eyes growing wet. "... I'm sorry, I-I-"
"Do you think I'm mad because you told me to mind my own business? Nope. You need space, I'll give you it. I really do care about you, Verde. And unless it's dangerous, I'll gladly give you all the time you need."
Verde felt her heart skip a beat. She wondered if she really did deserve Vao. That thought was still bothering her. Something that until now, she was too afraid to ask. And now with the truth of Rojo and her childhood revealed, it almost hurt to keep it to herself. She looked down at the ground again, biting her lip.
"... C-can I... Ask you something personal...?"
...
Far from the Club, on an island in the Sea of Souls. Patch, where Y/N and Vao had grown up, they sat at the table. Oobleck had called them, claiming an emergency. In Raven's own kitchen, Qrow, Tai, Raven, and Summer all stared at the doctor curiously. The bespectacled genius was sweating, both hands grasping his thermos which steamed with freshly brewed coffee.
"... What's all this about?" Tai finally asked. "You made me fly all the way over from Vale."
"Yeah," Qrow chipped in. "You came back from your little trip with Vao absolutely freakin' out... You were beginnin' to freak me out..."
"Vao was here? And he didn't say hi!?" Summer muttered. She was visibly upset. "Not even Y/N or Ruby visit me anymore! It really, really hurts!"
Oobleck stared at his coffee, wishing he could see a reflection so he could think better. But the liquid was about as clear as the future. He cleared his throat. Despite his own nerves, he knew they needed to know the truth. If Vao was looking into Salem, then that very well meant that Y/N was involved, too. The brothers were inseparable, after all.
"... I-I called you all here today to discuss something very important," Oobleck stammered slowly. Raven looked at him worriedly.
"... I didn't have to remind you about inside voices... What's going on? Did Vao drive the car?"
Oobleck shook his head. "... He mentioned Salem by name."
The table fell silent. And after a moment, Summer laughed.
"Oh, good one. You almost got me. Ozpin would have told us if Salem was communicating with them."
But Oobleck's stern stare wiped the smile off her face, killed the laughter. He wasn't joking. "... I do not think Ozpin is aware. We haven't been able to track Salem since she disappeared from the Land of Darkness. And Tai... You have mentioned that Y/N asked you the same question, about what a Salem is, correct?"
Tai nodded. He didn't answer. His lips had gone tight in a grim look. Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "... It is statistically impossible that Vao, as mentally handicapped as he is, would figure something like that out on his own. They... Must have learned from an outside source..." He took a small sip from his thermos, setting it back down with a small clink. "... And I think I have an idea where it started."
"Yeah, Oz thinks Y/N and Vao might be a host," Qrow muttered. Oobleck shook his head.
"If one of them is the host, then why would they both ask the question? On top of that, none of the children are disturbingly violent... Except for one. Ruby."
Silence again. They awaited Oobleck's response in suspense, staring at the doctor. Oobleck stood from his chair, abandoning his thermos as he paced and gave his theory.
"Surely you have heard about Ruby's... Issues at the beginning of the year. Violent, hurtful, cruel... And just recently, her personality did a complete flip. She's still rude, but not nearly as much. It's as if... She is someone else. I noticed it when I saw the blush applied to the cheeks," he explained. "I have seen Vao wearing makeup to make himself look prettier, which fits him because he looks female. I have also seen this from Yang. But Ruby wore no such thing until just recently. Has anyone overheard anything from this potential imposter?"
Raven nodded. "I have... A few days ago, I overheard Y/N telling Ruby to 'act the part'. I figured he was telling her to clean up her act..." She thought back, trying to recall as much detail as possible. "... And her eyes... They were almost black, and yet... They were silver again..."
Oobleck nodded. "... Do you know what I am trying to say?"
"That... Ruby is Salem's host...?" Tai thought aloud. Oobleck nodded.
"Which means that... Oh... O-oh, Dust..." Summer leaned on the table, her palm pressed against her mouth, her silver eyes growing blurry with tears. Oobleck nodded again, a darkness falling across his face.
"... Which means that Salem wants something with one of the kids..." He finished. "... I have done a bit of searching before I called you all here, and I have realized just who she's after."
"Who?" Qrow demanded. He had set aside his flask, sitting up straight. No longer did he look like the lazy uncle who shot his nieces and nephews with an airsoft gun at least once a week. Oobleck turned to them, folding his hands neatly in front of his body.
"Y/N and Vao. Ruby would give them the most hateful glares I had ever seen. And then, soon after school started, Vao fell from a window and nearly lost his life. Witness reports are that Ruby had been the only one in the room with him."
"But Vao said that he got drunk and fell?" Summer butted in. Raven shook her head.
"My son is an angry, lost and defunct child, but... Even he wouldn't do something that stupid. When he's drunk, he's just an asshole to everyone. He wouldn't have seen a reason to go near the window..."
"Which means he lied," Oobleck finished. "Lied, because at the time he didn't know anything about Salem. Ruby attempted to kill him the moment she saw the chance, but only managed to take his leg. Not just that, but I have mistakenly eavesdropped on Vao telling his friends that he doesn't remember what happened. Which also enforces the theory that he lied about playing by the window. However, it also means he could be telling the truth. But everything points to Ruby as the culprit."
Oobleck plucked a piece of paper off the counter, setting it on the table. ".. this is a list of incidents I typed out before I called you here. First day of Beacon, before the initiation. Ruby Rose assaulted a miss Weiss Schnee, her teammate, in a violent outburst. This was ignored on account of Ms. Schnee instigating Ruby. And of course, we have been over the incident with Vao." Oobleck dragged his finger along the list. "Here. Salem's Blood was found in Team FRSB's dormitory room. This initially led us to the suspicion that Salem was using one of them as a host. However, their behavior proved us wrong. The fourth incident; a student named Jaune Arc was found murdered and eaten by his teammate, Pyrrha Nikos. Cannibalism, the tell-tale sign of Salem's Blood - too much, and the urges to feast upon the flesh of humans and Faunus becomes unbearable, unpredictable, and perhaps most terrifying of all, uncontrollable. It was also around this time that Ruby began ordering thirds from the cafeteria."
They listened as they stared over the paper, Summer finally cutting Oobleck off. "Y/N came home when Jaune was murdered... They were friends... H-hey mentioned Ruby being sick, puking out this black goo... He told me how she treated everyone..." She wiped at her eyes with her sleeves. "I-I never... N-never th-thought..."
No one responded. Tai pulled Summer into a gentle embrace as his wife cried quietly. Oobleck cleared his throat and continued. "... Summer. What exactly happened that very night, shortly after Y/N, Vao, and Verde left?"
Summer choked on her own spot, managing to squeak out the answer. "Th-the forest... It c-caught on fire..."
Oobleck nodded. "And those three arrived at Beacon past curfew riding on top of a mature Nevermore, sending the entirety of Team FRSB to the infirmary with life-threatening injuries. A juvenile could have attacked them, but under normal circumstances a mature Nevermore would not have appeared unless they underwent severe mental distress, such as a loved one passing away - which couldn't have happened, because all three were alive when they landed at the Academy. Which brings up my next question: at the same time, Ruby filed for leave to visit family on Patch. Did she once stop by?"
"N-no..."
Oobleck sighed. "I knew it... And now, the most recent incident at the Academy: the restricted section of the Beacon Memorial Library was broken into. Anything could have been stolen. But only books related to Salem and the Abominations were taken away."
"Are you saying they broke into the library!?" Tai growled. "I can see maybe Vao doing it, but Y/N would never do something so illegal!"
"Are you calling Vao a criminal!?" Raven shouted in fury. "I mean, you're not wrong but still! That's too far even for him!"
"Team FRSB and Weiss Schnee had walked into the library that same day," Oobleck said in a much calmer tone. He managed to diffuse a dangerous argument. If the topic wasn't so dangerous and serious, he would have been proud of himself. "This was discovered recently, having taken time because of the lack of security cameras inside of the library. And it is to my knowledge that Vao is an expert at picking locks."
"If they were suspected, they'd be awaiting trail!" Qrow pointed out. Oobleck nodded.
"Typically, yes. However, that very weekend both dormitories were searched thoroughly by Ozpin himself. The stolen books were never found, and the suspicions were dropped. And the most recent incident-"
"You already said that," Tai said quietly. Oobleck shook his head.
"No, in my previous statement I had said that it was the most recent 'at the Academy'. This one comes from James Ironwood himself."
No one dared to breathe. If the General was getting involved, that only made Oobleck look even more correct. The doctor adjusted his glasses again, pushing the paper aside and resting his hands on the table.
"I heard this as I was driving back here from Ozpin. And you should know this very well too, Qrow. Team FRSB had a fight in the middle of Vale against an escaped convict. A dangerous pedophile named Rojo Forest - Verde Forest's biological father, who starved her to a near-death state, beaten her until her bones were broken, and raped her every single day of her childhood."
Tai and Summer looked sick. Having been the two who had known Verde the longest, the news was horrifying. Summer looked ready to break down.
"T-that... That p-poor girl..."
Oobleck held back his own sick feeling. "... Rojo had a very dangerous Semblance called Force. Any human or Faunus that stood within ten feet of him could be thrown as if they weighed nothing once activated. No matter how heavy they are. Team FRSB fought Rojo alongside James, managing to subdue and arrest him."
"Wait a minute... Vao came back looking horribly injured, saying he fought a... H-he fought an escaped convict!?" Raven gasped. Oobleck nodded.
"Yes. Team FRSB fought not only an escaped convict, but a dishonorably discharged Specialist in the Atlesian military. A high ranking black belt in martial arts. If Vao had not realized the weakness of Rojo's Semblance, that it couldn't force away material objects, they would have died. That was what he refused to tell us. This was Rojo."
They all stared in horror as Oobleck set down his scroll, revealing Rojo's mugshot from prison. His messy brown hair, unsettling cyan coloured eyes, and the sheer mass of his chiseled body. Oobleck pointed at it, continuing with his lecture.
"That man is a highly trained professional. Taught to kill. Which means he was broken out of prison for a very specific reason - to kill someone."
"And how would you know that?" Qrow asked quietly.
"Because Rojo vanished from his cell. There wasn't a trace that showed how he escaped. Every inch of his cell was inspected, and he was not seen on any cameras or by any of the guards. And his ASS collar was snapped into pieces, as if it were nothing. My theory is Ruby, possessed by Salem, broke him free for the specific purpose to get rid of Y/N and Vao. And this is further proven by what Rojo said when he attacked shortly after he escaped a police cruiser, when he tried to murder Y/N, Verde, Sasha, and James at a club they visited to celebrate his arrest-"
"What about Vao? Why wouldn't Vao be there?"
Oobleck turned to Raven, removing his glasses. Without the reflective lens, she could see the fear in his eyes. They all could.
"... Vao was here. In this very house, to visit. Do you not find it strange he had suddenly become willing to even look in my direction? When he saw Rojo, discovered what that man had done to Verde, who I discovered he is in a relationship with through conversation earlier today, he felt terrible for assuming there was nothing worse than our relationship. He wanted to give it a chance, knowing how good he has it compared to her." Oobleck turned to the others. "And while Vao was spending the day with me at Pumpkin Pete's Amusement Park, Y/N killed Rojo in self-defense. But that's not where James was terrified - it was the fact that during their fight, he mentioned Salem by name. He claimed he didn't care what she wanted, that he was killing them because he took his first defeat personally. Which confirms that Salem is after Y/N and Vao's lives."
He was met with silent horror. Oobleck was a very intelligent Huntsman. Every theory he had made lined up perfectly. Summer was crying into Tai's chest now, her husband looking very ill. Qrow had dropped his flask, the alcohol spreading across the floor. Raven had gone a ghostly pale, her expression revealing her terror. Oobleck wiped at his face, wiping the sweat away with a handkerchief.
"... It is hard to accept-"
"Hard?" Tai echoed. He looked furious. "Hard!? Some monstrous freak possessed my youngest daughter, tried to kill her brother, ate their friend down to the bone, set a rapist free, and is hell-bent on murdering two of my kids is hard!? No shit it's hard! What are we supposed to do with that knowledge!? What the FUCK are we supposed to do!?"
Oobleck waited for Tai to calm down before giving his suggestion. "... I do not know. But I suggest that we keep a very close eye on their movements from this moment forward. I have not yet informed Ozpin of this knowledge; I will do so immediately."
That was all he had to say. Tai and Summer left, the distraught woman having to be led out of the house. Qrow gritted his teeth, slamming his fist against the table before storming out the back door and out of sight, slamming the door behind him. Leaving Oobleck and Raven alone. The mother of two looked up at him. Oobleck had never thought he'd see Raven tear up before. But there she was, staring at him with watery eyes. "... Barty...?"
Oobleck sat down next to her, his fingers entwining with hers. "... Yes?"
"Will... Will my son and nephew be okay? If Salem's hunting them... There's little we could do to stop it... You know that," she hissed through clenched teeth.
Oobleck did know that. He simply said that it could be handled so Tai and Summer would have that relief. But Raven and Qrow were smarter than that - hence why Qrow had left the house furiously. Oobleck sighed, shaking his head.
"... I do not know... But we need to try. That... Is all we can do."
...
Vao led Verde down the hall, pushing her inside a broom closet so she could have privacy before closing them both inside, clicking the overhead light on. It was spacious enough for them to stand three feet apart. Vao leaned against a shelf, his hands in his pockets. "What's up, love?"
Verde looked down at her feet. And finally, her expressions came forward. Her mouth, normally blank and without a smile, curled downwards into a distressed frown. Her eyebrows knitted together, tears beginning to fall down her face before dripping from her chin.
"V-Vao..."
The femboy pushed off the wall, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Woah, woah... Wot's wrong?"
Verde swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, managing to squeak out the question she had longed to ask him the moment she realized how she felt about him.
"D-do... D-do you f-find me disgusting...?"
Vao shook his head, a gentle smirk crossing his lips. "Why would I think that?"
Verde wiped at her face, trying to hide behind her hands. But Vao pulled them away, bending down a bit so he was eye level with her. "... Talk to me, mate..."
Verde felt a cry building up as she tried to speak. The ever present lump was making it difficult. "I-I... I-I'm n-not a virgin, V-Vao... I-I'm used... Y-you know that, a-and you s-still care a-about me... It's d-disgusting, isn't it...?"
Vao's smile fell. He didn't know Verde had felt that way. He couldn't know. He didn't experience what she had. All he knew was that it was hard on her. Difficult to even think about. His voice dropped even lower, a soothing tone that tickled her eardrums.
"... I don't think that way," he whispered. "I don't care if you're a virgin or not. To me, it's about who you are..." He looked away for a moment before turning gaze back into her eyes. Red met green, staring into each other with nothing but honesty and compassion. "... How long has this been bothering you...?"
She didn't answer. She didn't need to. Vao could already tell from the way she stared back at him that it had been a long time, and with her most heavily protected secret finally set loose, it was breaking her. He sighed, sitting down with her. She sat in front of him, his arms draped around her stomach protectively as he spoke.
"... I'm sorry... Wot you went through, it was horrible. But it hasn't changed how I see you, love. Whether you're a virgin or not, that's not wot I'm looking for in a relationship. The reason I've never had a girlfriend before is I just... Didn't care about anyone like that," he admitted. "To me... It's not about sex. It's about personality. Looks can help, but even someone who has the best looks can look like the ugliest cows if their personality is awful. And ugly people can look like the most beautiful person, if they have a great personality. I've never been attracted to someone else's personality before. Sure, I've flirted around, but that's it. I've never felt a spark... Not until I met you."
Verde looked up at him, her tear-stained face almost begging him to explain. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "... W-what about me? A-am I ugly, with a beautiful personality...? O-or... The opposite...?"
"The opposite," Vao whispered back. "You're beautiful, and have an amazing personality."
"Th-then why didn't you show any attraction b-before I told you...?"
"You'll laugh at my answer."
Verde glared at him. Vao sighed, his face dusted with pink. It was embarrassing to admit it, but he wanted to do what was best for Verde. Even if it meant feeling humiliated.
"... I was shy, okay?" He confessed. "Yeah, I flirted with you all the time. But at that same time, I always wondered if you felt the same. I'm... Not very smart. I couldn't tell whether you liked me, or was just flustered... I pretended I wasn't interested because I didn't want to ruin my friendship with you and make things awkward... I'm not very nice, either. If I really didn't like you, I wouldn't have accepted your confession after the dance... If anything, I should be asking if you still like me."
Verde's hands trailed up to him, stroking his cheek gently. "W-why wouldn't I?"
Vao bit his lip. He had his own worries, his own personal fears. And now, he couldn't hold them back. Alone with the person he trusted most, he felt he could finally get that weight off his girly chest. "Look at me. I'm a criminal. I'm a drug dealer. I'm an asshole, a terrible friend and older brother... I look like a girl, and I'm not. When I saw Rojo, I wondered if... If I was much b-better..." He bit his lip hard enough to leave marks. "I'm not a... A r-rapist, but... I'm an alcoholic... I smoke weed and eat shrooms... So why? Why would you care about someone like me?"
Verde rolled around to face him, bringing her face close to his. She forced down the lump again, finally freeing her speech. "... Vao... I don't care about that... Because it's like you said to me, just a moment ago. It's personality that matters. Even if you don't show it very often, you're a very sweet person... You even tried to quit drinking for me after Father told you about Rojo... If you were as bad as you say, you wouldn't have done that... I don't care if you're a criminal, or a drug dealer... All I want is you, Vao... I've never wanted anything else..." Her tears were staining his shirt as she leaned closer, feeling his mint-scented breath grazing past her nose. "... You're nothing like Rojo... Do you... Really still love me, even if I was... W-was..."
"Of course I do. Nothing gonna change that. I love you, Verde. I want you, too..."
Their lips connected, holding each other as if one might disappear if they let go. But it was Vao who moved on his own. His right hand reached for his pocket, pulling something out and squeezing it tightly. His flask, his favorite possession. His grip loosened.
And he tossed it away. He was done drinking. He didn't need it anymore. He didn't need marijuana or shrooms. He had found someone else that he treasured. And when all of this was done, he wanted to leave the mafia for good. Maybe visit every now and again - Junior, Melanie, Miltia, they were still his friends. But the drinking, the smoking? He was done. He didn't want it anymore. Their lips broke apart, and Verde finally noticed the flask he had cast aside, her green eyes turning to meet his again.
"V-Vao...?"
The femboy smiled gently. A genuine, happy smile. "... I don't need it. Not when I have you."
Verde felt like she was melting. Vao really was willing to do anything for her to be happy, to see her smile. Even though she had told him he could drink, he still wanted to quit for her. She leaned into his chest, her eyes closing gently.
"... C-can we stay like this, Vao...?"
"Of course. I'll always be here for you, love...
I'll always be here..."