Days past and you got into the Beacon Academy swing of things. Professor Goodwitch sent you a uniform and you started attending classes with Velvet and the rest of Team CFVY. A lot of the information didn't make much sense to you, but the professors ensured you that you weren't being graded as strictly as the other students considering you weren't part of an actual team. Still, you had no idea how to get back home so you figured you'd make the most of the situation like Ozpin had mentioned. Between classes and combat training, you were usually in the library trying to learn about anything you could. If you could help it, you worked with Weiss or Pyrrha or Nick or any of their teammates, being first-years their studies helped you fill in the gaps from some of Velvet's classes. Oobleck's history lessons were entertaining when you could understand what he was saying and Port's Grimm facts were enlightening when he wasn't going off on a tangent.
Every so often, you and Velvet would work together and try to figure out your powers. Some days you would walk around and look for more Blast Shards, sometimes finding some loose ones or picking up a few the authorities had recovered. Others you were trying to test ways to use your powers like you used to do with Delsin back in Seattle.
"I won't lie (y/n), your powers are kind of confusing." Velvet said as the two of you sat back down in your room, "Professor Goodwitch said you were giving off a strong Aura, but you can't project it like we can, and does that mean your crystals aren't your Semblance?"
"I thought about that and tried to look up some stuff about Semblances. From what I read, a Huntsman's Semblance is a tangible use of their Aura and this Aura is a sort of manifestation of our souls."
"Right."
"Everyone with a soul has an Aura, but it takes practice to use it, and even more practice to find out just what your Semblance is; some people can even go their whole lives with an Aura but no Semblance."
"Weiss and the others are really helping you learn everything." Velvet said with a chuckle, "So if you can't project an Aura, but you definitely have an Aura, does that mean your Conduit powers is your body's way of projecting your Aura?"
"I think that's the case with me. The thing with Aura is the same with my Conduit Gene, people can have it and not know. They both let us take more damage, but there is a limit."
"Which explains why Yang's punch caused that wound in the preliminaries, you only had a portion of your total Aura. Which means that you still don't have your Semblance yet."
"Huh, I wonder what it could be." You looked down at your arms, crystal plates traveled their length and stopping a little bit behind your wrist, "It feels like I'm almost back at full strength, but we haven't found any more Blast Cores."
"Those are better than the Shards, right?"
"Yeah, and they not only replenish my energy, they can bring back some of my other powers. Hey, at least we figured out all this about me."
"Yeah, that's progress, right? We should tell Ozpin, or maybe YOU should tell Ozpin." Velvet said, the last bit a little quieter but you still heard it
"No, we can tell him together." You said as you got up
"But, what if he..."
"You're the only person that I've told about where I'm actually from aside from Ozpin and the staff, and you haven't told anyone else right?"
"Of course not."
"One more person hasn't hurt anyone and besides, I've really liked talking with you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you're really nice and understanding. Some people might look at you and see just a Faunus just like people back home would see me as just a Conduit, and some might use that to treat us differently, but we're not so different after all."
"Thanks. Um, (y/n)?"
"Yeah?"
"What happens if you figure out a way home?"
"What do you mean?"
Velvet holds your hand and scoots herself a little closer to you.
"It's just...I've liked talking with you too. Daisy and the others are all good friends and Coco and my teammates have been with me for a year; but when I'm with you, I feel like I can be myself."
"You don't feel that way around your teammates?"
"I mean, I do but I..." Velvet paused for a second, her face getting redder, "I-I just, I like you okay?!"
She almost yelled that last bit and at this point, you were wondering if she was having a self-induced heatstroke from how badly she was blushing.
"You like me?" You asked, your cheeks feeling a little warm, "So, you're saying you'd miss me?"
"Well...yeah."
"Well, I have no idea how I'm going to get home if I even can get home. So let's cross that bridge if we can find it, and until then, we can be together."
"Together?" Velvet said quietly
"If you want to; we can take it slow, figure things out." You said with a smile
Velvet had the cutest smile on her face as she got up. Stepping closer to you, she wrapped her arms around your waist and pulled you in, reciprocating the hug. Behind her back, you formed a small crystal ball and started shaping it. When Velvet let go she saw the crystal in your hands, molded into a small (f/c) rabbit.
"(Y/N), this is beautiful!"
"Like you." You said, feeling your cheeks getting warmer, and seeing Velvet have the same reaction before you left to find Ozpin
Thankfully, Ozpin was fine with Velvet knowing about you being a Conduit provided she was the only other one who knew and he seemed interested at your findings concerning your powers and your Aura. Other than that, the coming weeks were rather uneventful; school was school and life as an 18-year old with superpowers was...normal for once. You woke up one morning to the sound of rain on your window, as you stretched and turned to the window, sure enough, it was raining quite heavily.
"Well, looks like it's going to be a quiet morning." You said as you got dressed and headed down to the kitchen
Turning the corner, you smelled freshly cooked pancakes and sure enough, Teams RWBY, HNDR, and JNPR were having breakfast in the common room.
"Well good morning everyone."
"Good morning (y/n)." Ren said, "Would you like some breakfast? We have some extra pancakes."
"But I wanted those!" Nora yelled
"Nora, you've had five plates already." Jaune said as you started sifting through the pantry and grabbing the kettle, making your hot drink like you liked to do on rainy days
Pouring the milk in and mixing it together, Ren seemed interested in what you were making.
"Where did you learn how to make this?"
"One of my friends back home showed me. Would you like to try it?"
"Sure."
You made Ren a mug and when he tasted it, the smile on his face signaled almost everyone else in the room to ask to try it. You almost ran out of ingredients but soon everyone was enjoying your drink when Professor Ozpin walked into the room.
"Good morning students."
"Good morning Professor." Everyone answered
"Mr. (l/n), I was thinking about what you told me last night concerning your abilities when an old friend in town called me saying something rather odd came into his possession and he reminded me of something."
Ozpin reached into his pocket and to your surprise pulled out a Blast Core, which he quickly gave to you and you absorbed, feeling for the first time as strong as you did when you were in Seattle.
"I think that's the last one Professor. It feels like I'm back at full power." You said as a few of your friends cheered for you
"Excellent, and now I'd like to try something. If you can absorb commonplace glass or crystal" he said fishing a few colored crystals, "I'd like to see what happens if you absorb Dust crystals."
You took the crystal from Ozpin, one yellow and the other red so you could guess they were lightning and fire dust. Taking the crystals in each hand and concentrating, they turned to powder in your hands and you felt a white-hot jolt run up your arms. When you looked at your arms, your left arm was encased in flames but you felt no heat and your right arm had electricity coursing along it.
"Truly remarkable." Ozpin said as you tensed your arms, causing bright red and yellow crystals to form around your wrists and your arms returned to normal
"Thank you so much Professor, for everything." You said turning to your friends, all of them smiling
"It's no trouble at all Mr. (l/n); actually, maybe this new trick will help with what I'm about to ask of you." You all turned back to the Professor, "When you mentioned that you saw something else in the forest during your diagnostic, General Ironwood sent some of his drone soldiers to investigate only to have a second team retrieve piles of scrap metal, their memory drives destroyed beyond salvaging. You're the only one who's caught a glimpse of this mysterious creature so once this rain lets up we'd like you to investigate and report back what you find. Team CFVY will provide backup of course."
"I'll do what I can Professor. I definitely feel stronger now so I shouldn't hold them back too much."
Ozpin chuckles, "You certainly are a humble one Mr. (l/n)."
You left everyone, for now, to meet up with Velvet and her team, Ozpin had already filled them in on their mission so you talked strategy, or at least your tried too whenever Coco was joking about you and Velvet being a cute couple. Velvet's face was so red, you thought she was going to pass out when Coco finally stopped. A few hours later, the rain finally stopped and you all headed out to the Emerald Forest.
"Alright, (y/n) you take point when we reach the ruins." Coco said as you all stepped onto the metal plates, "Whatever this is is going to be tough, so be ready for anything."
You looked over at Velvet, scrolling through the images on her camera and making sure she had weapons at the ready, while you formed your crystal armor and created a crystal sword and shield like Jaune's.
"Ready?" Professor Port said from the control station, "Launch!"
Flying over the treetops, the forest was quieter than usual as you descended into the clearing not too far from the ruins. Fox and Velvet took to the trees and Coco and Yatsu were with you on the ground, and it was dead silent. No nearby growls or roars, no bird calls, just you and your team.
"We've touched down Professor Port, but there is no activity in the area."
"Interesting," you heard over your Scroll, "and there seems to be something interfering with our security network not too far from your position."
"Should we investigate?" Coco asked
"Not yet, let me see how extensive this interference is and run it by Ozpin, focus on the task at hand."
"Yes sir." You said as you hung up and Velvet hopped down from the trees
"No movement nearby Coco."
"So either, the Grimm have packed up and left, or whatever you saw has scared them out of the area."
"What exactly are we going up against (y/n)?" Yatsu asked as you began to slowly move toward the ruins
"I couldn't get a clear view, it looked like a Beowolf, maybe an Alpha because it was bigger than usual."
"That's all we're here for?" Coco asked
"Well, this thing is apparently strong enough that the Death Stalker living in that cave saw it as a threat and when it attacked it picked it up and threw it back into the cave when it tried to run."
"Whoa..."
You soon made it to the site of the ruins, still the eerie silence surrounded you. Taking cover in the structure, you motioned for Fox to move around the other side, he nodded as you counted down on your fingers. When you reached zero, you both jumped forward, ready to shoot or slice whatever you found, but found nothing. There were clear signs of a battle of some kind, claw marks carving through nearby trees and rocks, the ground was torn up and in a few places you saw bright green crystals, but they weren't like yours.
"What the..." You muttered as you picked one up and immediately felt your skin begin to burn, "Agh!"
"What is it (y/n)? Wait, crystals?" Velvet asked
"Not mine either."
"The cavern entrance is clear." Yatsu called out
Everyone regrouped with Yatsu, Velvet right behind you with a smile of encouragement like she always had.
"See anything Velvet?" You ask since she mentioned that Faunus can see better in the dark
"Nothing."
"Velvet, you and (y/n) take the lead here. We've got your back." Coco said as you crept slowly inside
The tunnel was pitch-black so you grabbed Velvet's hand and kept to the walls. Twisting and turning as the light from the entrance left your sight, the air grew stale and cold while the only sound was your footsteps.
"Everyone alright?" Velvet whispered after about 30 minutes of walking
"All good back here." Yatsu responded
"(Y/N)?"
"Right behind you." You said when something caught your eye, "Wait, is that a light?"
Everyone looked ahead and sure enough at the end of the tunnel, a low green light was coming from what looked like a large chamber. When you went inside, you saw more signs of the fight from outside carrying over here, crystals all over the walls and along the floor in rows.
"This is getting weirder and weirder." Velvet said, her voice slightly echoing in the room, "Ugh, and what is that smell?"
A green mist crept along the floor in here, and it was giving off a rotten smell to boot.
"Alright (y/n), where is this thing?" Coco asked
"I'm not sure, but it looks like there's another passageway out of here."
"There shouldn't be another tunnel according to the map Professor Port gave us."
"Wait, do you hear that?"
Coming down the tunnel, you could hear a hissing noise and some of the crystals started glowing brighter as the hissing got louder, and then the hissing stopped.
"Stay alert." Yatsu said
Suddenly, the ground erupted with green crystals only those crystals were on the back of something you had never seen before. They looked like Creeps, only bigger with the green crystals protruding out of its back and what looked like cuts in its body giving off more of that green light. You only had about three seconds to take this in as they started glowing and the hissing sound came back.
"Velvet, look out!" You yelled, rushing forward and pushing her towards Fox and Yatsu before the Creep exploded, the force cracking your armor as you were sent flying back right as another Creep popped out and exploded, pushing you back into the center of the room.
"(Y/N)!!!" Velvet yelled as she rushed forward to help you up
With Velvet's assistance, you slowly got up but there was a sharp pain in your leg and you saw a few crystals stuck in your leg. Then, you heard the same loud, guttural roar from your initiation followed by a few more explosions and then the whole cave started shaking.
"EVERYONE OUT, NOW!" Coco yelled, "Fox, Yatsu, clear the way! Velvet, grab (y/n) and let's go!"
Velvet ducked under your wounded side for support and the five of you started moving. The crystals burned slightly as you moved and you could see more of those Creeps popping up out the ground behind you and charging forward before Coco's gun filled them full of holes. Ahead of you, you could hear Fox and Yatsu fighting as well and you could see more of those Creeps starting to pop out from the ceiling, before detonating.
"They're trying to collapse the tunnel!" You shouted as you started to pick up the pace
Coco had cleared out the Grimm coming from behind and quickly caught up to the four of you, but the burning had turned into a searing pain and you were slowing Velvet down even more.
"Damn..." You whispered under your breath
"I'm not leaving you behind (y/n), just keep moving." Velvet said as the end of the tunnel finally came in sight
Yatsu and Fox were already there, guarding against any potential threats that may pop out of the trees. Coco joined them, her gun pointed at anything that might try to attack you and Velvet. You were 30 feet from the opening when you heard the hissing sound again. Three Creeps emerged from the rock, two above you and one right between the two of you, it's arrival breaking Velvet's hold on you
"Velvet!" You yelled as she went skidding backward while you stumbled forward only to be blown out of the cave by the force of the Creep's explosion and Velvet was sent further in, "We have to-"
"LOOK OUT!" You heard Yatsu yell as the two Creeps burst in a hail of rock fragments that swiftly escalated into a veritable landslide, sealing the cave shut
You all stood there, silent at what you just witnessed; you so focused the now sealed cave in front of you that you hadn't noticed the shards in your legs had jettisoned out.
"Velvet..." You whispered the only word that came to your mind as you got up; moving slowly at first but this turned frantic quickly, "Velvet!"
You started digging, dirt and rock being shoved to one side or another but for every handful of debris you moved another three took its place. Your mind moving a hundred miles an hour trying to think of something to help save her, you formed a pair of shovel-like blades around your arms and hands but it only seemed to make things worse. Your energy reserves were low so the crystal was not as strong and quickly broke off, leaving you helpless.
"No, no, no!" You screamed as you kept trying, "Velvet! Please hang on! I can't lose you!"
"(Y/N)!"
You turned to whoever was calling you and your cheek was quickly slapped.
"Calm down!" Coco yelled
"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?!" You screamed, "Velvet's trapped in there with who knows what alone, or worse! And all because she had to help my sorry ass get out of that stupid tunnel, if I didn't slow her down she'd be fine!"
"She wanted to help you, she cares about you!"
"You're right she does, and I care about her too! But let's be real here, we're friends sure but you all have only known me for a few months. Velvet's been your teammate for a solid year, and she has family and friends who care about her, she has a future here and if it wasn't for you guys neither would I! It should've been me stuck in there!"
You turned to the pile of earth, absorbing whatever crystal you could and forming another pair of fists, this time punching the rocks not really trying to make progress.
"It should've been me, it should've been me, IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!" You shouted before your fists cracked again and you were left slumping in front of the cave-in, tears now streaming from your eyes, "It should've been me..."
The four of you were quiet for a time, Yatsu and Fox looking around for some other way inside while Coco sat next to you, your head hung low in front of the cave-in. You thought to how you and Velvet would spend time together in and out of classes, kind of like how you and the guys would hang out back in Seattle, and you actually realized you hadn't been thinking about going home lately; when you were with Velvet, you felt like you were home. Wiping the tears from your eyes, you stood up with an (f/c) glow visible around you.
"What the..." Coco whispered as you clenched your fist, the ground beneath you shaking, "(Y/N), what's going on?"
You said nothing, mostly because you had no idea what was going on and yet, it was like you've had this power your whole life.
"My Semblance..." You said, getting the attention of the rest of Team CFVY
Concentrating, you could see waves coming off of your hand and you motioned towards the cave. A small tremor cracked through the ground and under the rubble, which exploded in all directions as a small tunnel became visible through the cave-in.
"That was..."
"Seismic." You said as you looked through the tunnel to see a clear path, and a light at the end of it, "Let's go, everyone."
The tunnel twisted and turned in a different way from when you went through the first time, only opening up once in the same large room from before. This time though, the second tunnel was also caved-in.
"Now what?" Yatsu asked
"Second verse, same as the first I guess." You said as you concentrated, sending another tremor out to carve another tunnel through the rubble when the cave started shaking again
"(Y/N)??" Coco shouted
The tremor line began to spider along the floor and soon up the walls where you spotted a crystal larger than anything you'd seen.
"Duck and cover!" You shouted as everyone backed into the tunnels before you heard a shattering sound and watched as shards of crystal rained down for a few seconds before finally, the cave grew silent once more
You took a step forward, and the cave floor was littered with crystal shards, some green like before, others were a soft blue and you looked up and saw that the green crystals had grown over the blue.
"Hmm," You muttered as you picked up a crystal of each color, the green one only slightly tingling now, "Is my Semblance protecting me? So many questions." You gripped the shards and absorbed them both, "but at least I can resupply."
You closed your eyes and held your arms out, one by one you could feel the crystal shooting into your body as your fatigue faded away and your armor reformed.
"Let's go," You said turning to Team CFVY, "we've got a friend to rescue."
The tunnel continued for what felt like miles, twisting and turning with more and more of those crystals around and the tunnel walls looked rougher than usual.
"This tunnel isn't natural," You said looking around, "Those Creeps things must've literally blown the mountainside apart to carve this."
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Coco asked
"As unnatural as Grimm are Coco, there is something even more unnatural about those." Yatsu said as he helped you move a larger rock out of the way, seeing a small light on the other side, "There, a way out!"
"Let's go!"
Running outside, your eyes had to adjust to the sunlight as you stepped out onto a wide field. Hills on the horizon rolled for a good distance and framed the sight of a battle about 100 feet away from you. Multiple craters dotted the grass, you guessed from those green Creeps, and a few prowled on the outskirts almost waiting for something. Suddenly, you heard a roar from over the hill and what sounded like thunder when Velvet came flying over the hill and past the Creeps.
"Velvet!" You said when you heard the roar again and a shape landed on the top of the hill
Hunched over and clearly larger than any other Beowolf, its shoulders moving like even breathing is difficult for this thing. No bone spikes like normal Beowolves, green crystals were poking out all over its back and with another roar, the Creeps turned and began advancing.
"What's the plan?" You asked Coco as she unleashed her Gatling gun
"Fox and I will deal with the little guys, you and Yatsu cover Velvet."
Turning to Yatsu, the both of you nodded as you ran forward. You clapped your hands together and your crystals grew into a greatsword matching Yatsu's. A blur soon dashed past you and Yatsu as Fox started slicing away at the Creeps, jumping back just as they explode and causing a chain reaction as you keep moving and seeing Velvet dodging this Beowolf's claw swipes but the creature just doesn't seem to be getting tired. Seeing the Grimm wind up for a heavy blow, you speed forward and step between it and Velvet. Your sword met its claws and with an echoing boom, you both slid back as the Beowolf bared its fangs.
"You alright Velvet?" You asked as you turned around for a second
Velvet had a few scratches and bruises, her Aura must almost be completely depleted, but she had a smile on her face until you saw her eyes go wide.
"Look out!" She yelled as you turned to see the Beowolf with its arms raised and as he slammed the ground and crystals started sprouting out of the ground in waves as you jumped back with Velvet behind you.
The Beowolf growled at you, but you cracked your knuckles and stood at the ready.
"Cute trick, but I can do it better." You said as you jumped up and slammed your fists into the ground like it did
Cracks splintered the ground as rock and crystal shot up, shattering the Beowolf's crystal spikes and forcing it on the defensive. You felt a weight lift off you and saw a good chunk of your crystal stores had depleted.
"Okay, that one takes a chunk out of me. Good to know." You said as you formed some crystal claws to mirror the Grimm, Velvet at your side with a copy of Yatsu's sword
The Beowolf ran forward on all fours but you and Velvet were ready, her speed let her dance around the Grimm's swings and your strength helped keep its attention on you and not Velvet, getting in damage where you could but leaving most of the damage to Velvet, but the Beowolf was smart and kept its guard up. Eventually, Yatsu and the rest of Team CFVY caught up and joined in, Coco and Yatsu working on crowd control while Fox helped you with the Beowolf. After a bit, it seemed like the Beowolf was more focused on you than anyone else. Switching over to a twin shield setup and using your Dust wristbands to add some fire and shock to your shields, you played tank while Fox and Velvet weaved in and out of his attacks.
"Yatsu! We could use some extra muscle!" Velvet yelled as she rolled out of the way of another one of the Beowolf's crystal spike attacks, the Grimm roaring again and more Creeps advancing from all directions
The Beowolf reared back for another heavy swing but you jumped up and bashed your shield into his skull, causing him to reel back and let Yatsu run his sword clean across his torso, green light glowing from the slash and it only seemed to make the Beowolf more aggressive.
"Dammit, what does it take to kill this thing?" Coco yelled as she unleashed another flurry of bullets on the next wave of Creeps
Skidding back after another tandem strike with Yatsu, Fox and Velvet used the opening to score some more hits when all of a sudden, the Beowolf started glowing and began charging at you all.
"What's happening?" Yatsu asked
The light spread throughout the Beowolf's body, and a familiar hissing sound reached your ears
"Oh no..." You said as Velvet realized it as well
"Don't get too close!" She shouted as everyone backed up while you and Coco tried to slow it down, but everything just bounced off of its hide
"We need to leave! Now!" Coco said when a shadow swooped over the field and a Giant Nevermore flanked you from behind, "Oh, come on!"
The Beowolf was closing in and it wasn't going to wait for you to deal with the Nevermore, but nothing was stopping its final charge. For a split second, your mind flashed to a conversation you had with Delsin, when he told you about how Reggie sacrificed himself so Delsin could help Fetch and Eugene and by extension, you.
You said nothing to Team CFVY, not even to Velvet, you just ran. You ran headlong toward the charging Beowolf, armor encasing your body as you shoulder charged the Grimm, jabbing your free hand into the ground to create a crystal dome as the Grimm got brighter, hoping to save Velvet and the others from some of the blast force. The Grimm was glowing brighter, your crystal was quickly solidifying and finally fully encompassed the two of you; just in time for the others to finish with the Nevermore.
"(Y/N)!!!" You heard muffled through the walls before the light blinded you and you blacked out from using so much power at once.
-Some Time Later-
You woke up in a large cavern, apparently nowhere near where you were before.
"Great, I went from Seattle to Beacon, now I've gone from Beacon to who-knows-where."
"I have finally found you!"
You looked around for the source of the voice, finding nothing until a blue light started coming from the cave ceiling, and a large armored angel with glowing blue wings slowly descended down to you.
"He Who Dwells, Eugene!!" You said as the angel began shrinking and soon your friend Eugene was standing right in front of you
"(Y/N), we've been looking all over for you!" He said as you bro-hugged, "What happened?"
"Dude, I cannot even begin to explain it! This...I guess it was a meteor...crashed into the park near my apartment. I go to check it out and touch it, great idea I know, and I get dropped in the middle of this forest somewhere completely different! How did you even find me?"
"That meteor was giving off a whole bunch of frequencies, so I've been searching through them to try and find you." He said as he waved his hand and a portal tore open behind him with Delsin and Fetch on the other side.
"(Y/N)!!" They cheered as they ran through the portal to hug you, the four of you having a good laugh like old times before they headed back towards the portal
You took a step forward, excited to tell them all about Beacon and Grimm Huntsman and...Velvet. You remembered Velvet, all the fun you'd had together, and stopped.
"Hey Eugene, is this going to be a one-way trip?" You asked
"According to the scientists the Seattle City Board brought in, probably. The multiple frequencies from the meteorite are causing it to deteriorate. Why?"
"It's...kind of a long story." You said as you sat down, the others following you, "Do we have time?"
"I think so."
-Back at Beacon-
Ozpin doesn't usually have as many people in his office as he does right now, Professors Port and Oobleck on his sides with Teams RWBY, JNPR, and HNDR in front of him, but considering the connection between his reasons for calling everyone it seemed appropriate. Taking another sip from his mug, the ding of the elevator rang out as Team CFVY stepped out, minus a certain Rabbit Faunus.
"Sorry we're late Professor." Coco said as the doors closed behind her
"It's quite alright Ms. Adel." He replied
"How's Velvet?" Daisy asked
"Couldn't get her out of bed, and to be honest I don't blame her considering how close she was to him."
"Well, I think Ms. Scarlatina has certainly earned a bit of respite. In any case, I have called you all here to tackle some interesting anomalies brought to light by Team CFVY's investigation. Not too long after landing, we began picking up disturbances in our security network near that area; Teams RWBY and JNPR, you'll work with Professor Port to investigate the cause of these disturbances and hopefully identify the reason behind those...mutated Grimm appearing in the Emerald Forest."
"Mutated? Like someone was experimenting on them?" Jaune asked
"According to the lab report Professor Peach has sent us, yes."
"Let's get going then students," Professor Port said, "we need boots on the ground in order to start figuring things out."
The nine of them left in the elevators, and then Ozpin turned to the remaining seven.
"Team HNDR and CFVY, your mission is more of a personal one considering it centers on one of your teammates as well as a close friend of Ms. Amarelo but I feel is still warranted. In my years, I have seen how the loss of someone you hold dear can take its toll on someone, especially if the loss leaves unanswered questions. So, you will work with Dr. Oobleck and retrace your steps leading up to (y/n)'s disappearance; with any luck, we can uncover some clues to his whereabouts, or if worse comes to worse at least give Ms. Scarlatina some closure."
Everyone was silent for a moment, but Coco and Reed shared a glance, Reed sharing one with Daisy and the three of them nodded before everyone headed out.
-Meanwhile-
"So as the Grimm was charging at us, I tried to shield the others from the blast and then I guess you pulled me into...wherever this place is." You said, finishing up your story
"Wow, it does kind of sound like some crazy anime world." Eugene replied
"Right? But it was still really cool; everyone was nice, Ozpin and the staff were so helpful getting me settled in, a-"
"And you and this Velvet had gotten really close from the sound of it." Fetch interrupted
"When I first got to Beacon, I was so focused on going home; but being with Velvet, it made Beacon feel like home. Truth be told, I haven't thought about Seattle in a few weeks."
"Weeks? You've only been gone a few days." Fetch said
"Maybe there's some time differences going on?" Eugene asked
"Maybe, so what do YOU want to do (y/n)?" Delsin asked
"I..." You started but stopped, running through your experiences with Delsin and the others and your experiences with Velvet, "You guys are like family to me, but Velvet...she's more than that."
You could feel your cheeks flushing, both out of embarrassment but also out of compassion, something you haven't really had for anyone in a long time.
"I...I want to go back. I want to be with her."
There was a silence between your friends before you felt a pair of arms wrap around your neck and you found Fetch hugging you.
"If that makes you happy, then it's fine with me. You just promise you'll take care of yourself."
You chuckled, "I promise."
"Besides, I know what frequency I need to generate a portal; gonna need a little more power to do it but we'll see each other again." Eugene said as you gave him and Delsin a fist bump before Eugene opened a second portal, the Emerald Forest on the other side. With one last wave goodbye as they went home, you dove through the rift.
-In the Emerald Forest-
Team CFVY and HNDR had been searching for three hours now, with nothing to show for it. Having completely retracing their steps; the site of (y/n)'s first appearance was empty, they had combed the cave system and searched every inch of that field where the Mutant Beowolf fight happened but found no trace of him.
"Dammit." Coco spat under her breath, the others looking just as defeated
"You're sure?" Reed asked Carmen, her eyes currently glowing bright green
"Sorry Reed, (y/n)'s just...gone."
Reed gave out an exasperated groan, Carmen's Master Tracker Semblance made looking for (y/n) a little easier but every time she used it there was no sign of him, "Well, no sense in tiring out your Aura, plus the sun's starting to go down. I'd guess we'd better-"
"INCOMING!!!" Nick yelled, causing everyone to look up at a flash of light hurtling towards them
Everyone jumped back into the caverns right before impact and waited for the dust to settle.
-Back at Beacon-
The dorm room of Team CFVY was quiet, the four beds neatly arranged in standard Beacon Academy fashion and the afternoon sun shined through the single large window. Three of the beds had been neatly made this morning, but under the covers of the fourth still sat a lump, this lump being Velvet. Sitting up, she rubbed her tired and dry eyes and reached for the crystal rabbit you had made for her. Holding it close to her chest, she felt another tear creep down her cheek, just all the tears she cried before after losing you. It was still clear in her head, her team was busy fighting the Nevermore that had ambushed you and the giant Beowolf was still coming for you. She turned around as Fox dealt the killing blow to the bird and saw you building a crystal dome around you and the Beowolf, trying to shield her and her team but risking his life in the process. Velvet tried to stop you but the dome burst from the force of the Grimm's explosion and when the dust cleared, you were gone. Frantically looking around the nearby area and calling your name, Velvet searched but found nothing, almost driving herself to the point of the exhaustion until Coco called Ozpin and arranged a Bullhead to pick them up. She set the rabbit on her nightstand and almost went back to sleep until she heard a knock on the door.
"Vel?" Said a voice, she recognized it as Daisy's, "You doing okay?"
"Yeah Daisy," she said with a soft sniffle, "I'm fine."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure."
Velvet got up and unlocked the door, Daisy stepping inside.
"Geez Vel, still in your pajamas?"
"What? I was tired."
"I heard it was a tough fight so that's fair I guess."
Velvet slumped back into bed and Daisy sat on Yatsu's bed next to her.
"Come on Velvet, you know moping around in bed isn't going to help you feel any better."
"Whatever..." She grumbled
"I'm serious. You need to get your mind off of (y/n)."
"Well, maybe I don't want to stop thinking about him. You don't know him like I do! He's been through so much and I could tell it was hard for him to open up to me and not bring back those terrible memories, but we'd gotten closer because of it. And now he's gone."
"You don't know that."
"Then where is he?!"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that you need some fresh air and if you've been in here all day probably some food will do you good."
"I...am kind of hungry."
"See?" Daisy said, "Hey, how about we go to Uncle Jay's, just the two of us? Reed always takes me there after a rough day, and Uncle Jay's always been there with a smile and an ear to listen."
Velvet thought for a second when an audible growl came from her stomach. "Okay, okay, let me get dressed first."
Daisy stepped out for a second while Velvet put on her clothes, picking up the crystal rabbit one more time and putting it in her pocket. She opened the door and Daisy was waiting with a smile on her face like she always did. The two rabbit Faunus headed out of the dorm room and out into the courtyard, but when they turned to head off of campus, Velvet stopped. Covering her mouth with her hands as she shrieked in surprise, tears ran down her face to see you walking toward her. You were scratched up in a few places, it was a rough re-entry to say the least, but you were smiling from ear to ear to see her again. You watched as Velvet took a step back in disbelief, but as you opened your arms she quickly ran to you, almost knocking you down as she grabbed you and buried her face in your shoulder with tears streaming.
"You're alive!!!" She sobbed
"And so are you." You replied, to which Velvet gave you a quick shove
"Shut up! That was such a dumb idea, and what even happened?! You just disappeared!"
"Well, my old friends found me. They pulled me out before the Beowolf exploded."
"Wait, so you went back home?"
"Kind of; I was about to," You said as you wiped the tears from her cheeks, "but I want to be with you Velvet. I love you."
Velvet almost broke down again as you pulled her face to yours and kissed her, feeling truly loved for the first time in who-knows-how-long. When you let go, Velvet had the warmest smile on her face as she embraces you.
"I love you too (y/n)." She said