Chapter Text
For the first time in history, (Y/N) actually enjoyed his life.
After all he's been through, he's finally found enjoyment.
Through all the tests, the abandonment, the fighting, the fear, the despair, the struggles, the weakness, the failures...
He persevered through it all.
He finally could leave it all behind.
Now, this was no perfect life. There was still the overwhelming threat of the grimm in the world, the unpunished anvil corporation, the white fang attacks, the criminals he was working to fight against...
All in all, there was still a lot to be done.
It wasn't a bad life though.
He wasn't a lab rat, subjugated to tests for a perfect soldier that he had no choice over. He wasn't alone in the woods, pushing himself to his limits to survive and grow. He wasn't constantly relying on his uncontrollable abilities to save others.
He wasn't forced into his life anymore.
Instead, he was just a simple student at Beacon Academy. He had a home, a few friends, a team that trained him within his own mind, a little girl he could almost consider like a daughter, and a group he trusted his life with.
And who knows? Maybe that team trusted him as much too...
But, you see, that was the problem.
He was surrounded by good things.
And they don't last forever.
Especially for those trying to be a hero.
"This isn't a good idea."
"We don't have any control over it. You know this."
"We could at least help him get through it!"
"You know we can't..."
In a nearly barren hallway, four brothers spoke to each other, the oldest and youngest trying to convince them to not interfere.
"It's just..."
"Lucas, I know... I know ..."
At that point, in unison, all four of them looked down. Walking towards their rooms, all they could feel was failure following them.
Now, these were team SLLL. A team made from the soul of (Y/N). They lived in the soulscape, an area shaped by his very own soul.
The soulscape was an interesting place. It mixed with a variety of things (Y/N) would like, such as beacon academy and Vale, while also having unorthodox things from the other four, like mystic runes and robotics. It was a conglomeration of everything his soul had connections with.
Yet it wouldn't last much longer. None of them would.
Not Shen, the magical team leader and oldest of the four.
Not Lucas, the second oldest masochistic son of god.
Not Loki, the second youngest self made superhero.
And not Liam, the youngest imperceptible shy teen.
All of them had to say goodbye to that place.
They didn't even know how long it would take to come back.
Or worse...
If they come back.
"...do you think that will happen."
Hearing Liam's words, the others came into a full stop.
None of them wanted to think about it. Memories haunted them of... that . They tried their best to ignore it, only hoping it wouldn't happen to (Y/N).
But they would always need to confront it eventually.
And Liam was always the straightforward one.
"I... I don't know..."
By the sound of their leader's voice, the other three fell silent. They had no words for what came next. Only an agonizing silence was permitted in the room, barely allowing the sound of their breaths.
But, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, they couldn't stop any longer.
They were in front of their rooms.
It was time to rest.
Realizing they finally arrived, the four brothers split off, standing in front of their respective doors.
But before they would leave, Shen wanted to say one last thing.
"Well... I guess I'll see you guys later!..."
As Shen broke the tension, the other three L brothers watched happily as their leader stepped inside his room.
It might be the end, but they shouldn't be so down for it.
"Yeah... I guess I'll get to bed now... But don't worry, I'll be a bigger asshole for when we see each other again!"
Grinning wildly, Lucas opened his door next, walking into his own room.
Two were left.
"..."
"..."
Unlike the other two, no matter how much they tried, they could never match their joy.
There was too much on their plate to be happy at a time like this.
Thinking about what's to come..
It was frightening to say the least.
And one of them needed to finally voice that out.
"... is he... going to be okay?"
Hearing him, Loki spun his head to meet with the youngest brother.
It was the first time he ever saw Liam tremble.
"I... I don't know if he can do it..."
Liam stood in place, not knowing what to do.
What if he can't do it?
It was truly the only question within his mind.
It scared him to his core. It made him lose all feeling. It filled his entire body with dread at the mere thought.
But it all faded by the touch of a hand, placed upon his shoulder.
"Liam... None of us know... That's why we do this song and dance, no matter how pointless... So we feel like we have a choice..."
Trying to lock eyes with his older brother, Liam's head glanced upwards to Loki.
And at that point, he realized one fact.
He wasn't the only one that needed a tissue.
"It's... going to be horrible... Probably one of the worst experiences we'll ever have... But..."
Loki, finally gaining a grin back on his face, turned back to his door while finishing his sentence.
"Maybe all he needs is just a little bit of faith."
Liam was petrified, unable to form a sentence as he watched the other leave his line of sight.
He was the last one.
His own worries were the only thing that could keep him company now.
Hearing Loki's words though...
He could've had a billion thoughts at that very moment.
But he would only be able to hear one.
Loki was right.
"... *sigh* (Y/N)... don't give in."
It was a bright, sunny morning. The birds were chirping in the distance, businesses were opening in the city, students were talking with their friends as they walked to class, qnd parents were taking their kids to their daycare.
And within all of the kingdom, (Y/N) stood in his home, cooking breakfast for the people inside.
Even if they forced their way in.
"Why do I have to cook all of you food? Ren can also cook, you know."
"But you have a personal kitchen and didn't tell anyone about it."
" *mumble* That's not a good reason..."
"Do you not want to cook for Eva?"
(Y/N) fell silent at those words, unable to give a proper response.
This was team RWBY, the team he was assigned to partner with for the year. Being a solo huntsman at the academy, the first one in history as a matter of fact, meant he needed to join with a group for assignments and the like.
There were some restrictions, of course, but it didn't matter to him. He got to train to his liking and be with his close friends.
Speaking of them, introductions must be of order.
On team RWBY, you had Ruby Rose, the leader and youngest of the group. She jumped ahead two years due to a run in with thugs a while back, getting her one step closer at becoming a huntress.
With her was her half-sister, Yang Xiao Long. She was the strongest of the group, which highlighted her protective nature. She and Ruby were helping Eva with some simple multiplication homework, leaving her nearly hovering over the girl.
Then you had Weiss Schnee. She was the smartest of the party, hands down. Thanks to being the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, her family could afford some of the best private tutors and weaponry money could buy. This also led her to feel a bit more entitled than most, but thankfully, it was decreasing as the months went by.
Finally, there was Blake Belladonna. She was the most acrobatic and least social of the group. Just last week though, they learned that she was actually a cat faunus who used to work with the White Fang, a terrorist group that targeted all of humanity for its history of oppression.
When they learned that fact, Blake left the group while (Y/N) was destroying the facility that kept Eva.
Eva, by the way, was an experiment by Anvil, a weapons corporation, that mixed her body with grimm and robotic parts.
After taking her away from the company, (Y/N) fought a group of White Fang members, helping Blake and reuniting the team.
Ever since then, team RWBY would go to his dorm every morning. They would relax, eat, and help (Y/N) with his new, self appointed, daughter. He didn't really have a choice in the matter, but he was fine with it.
They were all fine.
" *food stuffed in her mouth* How long until class starts by the way?"
"We still have ten minutes. Why? You forget to do your homework again?"
"Hey! I'll have you know that I didn't miss a single assignment last semester."
" *mumbling* Cause you took four all-nighters in a row on the final week."
"Still counts!"
As Yang and Weiss continued to talk, (Y/N) couldn't help but be joyful with how everything was.
He had everything he could want. The academy gave him a home, the resources to achieve his dream, safety from grimm in the wild, the opportunity to find the amazing friends with him...
He had it all.
" Are you sure? "
(Y/N) paused.
Who... was that?
That voice...
It came from his soul.
Yet it sounded so... familiar.
But that didn't make sense. The only time he was able to hear voices was after the initiation exam. Even then, the only voices possible were team SLLL. They stated there were no other parts to his soul than them.
So if that's the case...
Where did this voice come from?
" Shen? Who was that? "
Hoping to get an answer, (Y/N) spoke within his soul, hoping Shen would respond back.
But no. There was nothing.
" Hello? Lucas, where are you? "
...
Once again.
Silence.
" Loki? Liam? You there? "
...
...
...
Nothing.
Not one sound was spoken.
They used to talk for hours on end, whether it be about a book they read, a show they watched, a game they played, a bet they made, etc.
And now?
Not a voice.
What happened? Where were they? Why weren't they talking to him? Were they asleep? Well, he couldn't even hear them breathing, so probably not.
Were...
Were they dead?
"(Y/N)? You okay there?"
Hearing Ruby speak, (Y/N) was pulled from his trance, taking notice to the now standing team in front of him.
What was he doing!? He still had school to go to! He couldn't be just waiting around for them to speak up.
And besides, it was his soul! They would be with him no matter where he went.
Right?
"Yeah... Sorry. We heading out now?"
"Yep! And I have something planned, so be quick!"
Hearing Ruby's statement, (Y/N) nodded before standing up from his seat.
Checking himself in the mirror quickly, making sure he had his perfectly sorted, (Y/N) smiled in contempt before walking away from the group.
He couldn't just leave Eva without saying goodbye.
As the team left his dorm, (Y/N) kneeled down to the younger girl's eye level, revealing the small bit of worry within her eyes.
"Remember, auntie Glynda will be coming to get you soon, so make sure to be on your best behavior."
"Okay..."
Smiling at her answer, (Y/N) nodded before looking back to his open door, team RWBY waiting in front of it.
He had to get going. Now.
"Good... I'll be going to school now with the girls, so I'll see you at dinner."
"Alright... Bye dad!"
At those words, (Y/N) couldn't help but wave at Eva one last time before leaving his door.
He was ready to start the day.
" Are you sure? "
"And when I thought I was safe on my trip, I was suddenly attacked by a swarm of malefici! Now, I was able to easily defeat them swiftly, but they definitely did a number on me at the time. Which reminds me! Mr. (Y/N)!"
Hearing his name get called by the professor, (Y/N) shot up from his seat, not prepared in the slightest.
"H-huh? Yeah?"
"Do you remember how malefici attack their opponent?"
Waiting in anticipation, many students stared at (Y/N), noticing the pencils trained on their papers.
Now, a maleficus was a small grimm type that took the shape of a moth. They weren't strong in the slightest, unable to harm even a flower, but they made up for it with their pitch black camouflage and tendency to stick in groups.
But that wasn't what anyone was waiting for.
What they were waiting for was the information (Y/N) knew about them.
So everyone stared at the young man. Even team RWBY leaned in, wondering what he was going to say.
Until...
"...I-I'm sorry. I... can't for the life of me remember."
Everyone in the room was shocked. Even Professor Port was dumbfounded at this moment.
Team RWBY, however, only furrowed their eyebrows in suspicion.
" Again? "
Yet through it all, silence remained. Not one sound was made for a whole minute, ending by the sound of Professor Port's voice.
"Well. Looks like we found something you need to work on then. Now, Ms. Schnee! What about you?"
Hearing her name get called, Weiss took her attention away from (Y/N) and placed it back onto her professor.
"Malefici attack their victim with their poisonous skin, making it wise to keep distance between a swarm of them.
"That's right! And with me being tired from those battles, those nasty little things got all over me! I had to rush to the nearest town as soon as possible! But, as I was a..."
As Professor Port continued on and on with his lecture, (Y/N) took his attention off the class and back into his hands.
He couldn't for the life of him figure out why team SLLL was gone. It was his own soul, so it should have been impossible for something to attack them. Right?
And more importantly, how did he miss that question!? He lived in a forest for seven years for fucks sake. Of course he would have known how malefici fight! He's fought them for years! Hell, he knows that the poison kills someone between five weeks and an hour depending on the size of the swarm! He even knew the cure could be made by an illuminating flower that warded them away. He used to place them at safe depots if he got lost! How did he forget this!?
What was happening?
" *whisper* (Y/N), are you okay?"
Hearing Ruby's voice out of the corner of his ear, (Y/N)'s eyes wandered to the team's faces, taking in their expression.
Staring into their eyes, (Y/N) could tell their worry from a mile away.
" *whisper* This is the third class you've been acting like this. What's with you?"
Hearing her condescending voice, Yang lightly punched Weiss's arm in frustration.
" *whisper* Don't act like that! There's obviously something going on!"
" *whisper* That's what I asked!"
Blake, wanting to focus on the matter at hand, ignored the two as she confronted (Y/N).
" *whisper* (Y/N)... Is there something bothering you?"
With now the entire team's attention focused on him, (Y/N) couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the situation.
It wasn't that bad, right?
" *whisper* Guys, I'm fine. I'm just having an off day... That's it..."
Unsatisfied with his answer, the group's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance before begrudgingly accepting it.
" *whisper* Alright..."
"* whisper* Fine."
" *whisper* Okay..."
"..."
As all four went back to what they were doing beforehand, (Y/N) couldn't help but shake his head.
He's fine! Why are they so bothered by how he's acting? It's just one day!
" Are you sure? "
After finishing his fourth period, (Y/N) decided to do something he'd never done before.
Walk back to his dorm alone.
He told Ruby that he had to go see Eva, and promised to see them next period.
But what he really wanted was some space.
And as (Y/N) walked down the hallway, map in hand, he couldn't help but think about what's been happening at class.
Why were they acting so weird? So what if he forgot a few things! He was only human. It wouldn't be that far-fetched for him to forget some things from the past!
Besides, it's not like it was the end of the world or anything. It was four questions, big whoop. He was fine, so they shouldn't have made a big deal out of it.
They were friends after all...
Right?
Before continuing his thought process, (Y/N)'s senses were flooded by the pain of his head hitting a door.
He was already there.
So entering his dorm room, (Y/N) shouted to see if Eva was there.
" *yelling* Eva? You here?"
...
Nothing.
Hearing silence follow his voice, (Y/N) looked around the living room for any sign that they might be inside.
He wanted to make sure he was really alone.
So searching his home for any sort of clue, (Y/N) spent fifteen minutes in silence before finally making an answer.
It seemed like Eva left with Glynda. They were probably at Ozpin's office or something.
Which meant only he was in the dorm.
Wonderful.
Plopping himself on his bed, (Y/N)'s mind stared back at the question he asked.
I mean, how ridiculous. Of course they were friends! Why wouldn't they be friends! He's been with them for months! He's been helping them out whenever they needed it! He's helped Ruby with her leadership troubles! Weiss, with her reluctance with others! Yang, with her iron shell! Even Blake with her trust issues! How couldn't they be friends!
Well...
They never really helped him I guess.
But that wasn't their fault! He never told them his past!
Not that they ever asked...
Well he never asked either!
But two wrongs didn't make a right...
Well, Yang tried to help! That should be proof enough!
That was something that affected her though...
But... But what about...
Then there's how standoffish they are towards you...
That's not-
And how little they do things for you...
Bu-
How they never asked for your birthday, parents, schools...
What ab-
Hell, you didn't even tell them the full story with Eva! "Ozpin randomly gave me files that let me track an experimentation subject?" That was the worst excuse you could have made and you know it. No wonder they don't give a shit about you.
They... They... they...
(Y/N) held his head in his hands.
No! He needed to stop questioning himself! It didn't matter if they didn't help him. Or how they never asked how he was doing! Or how they didn't look for him when he was gone!
HE WAS FINE! He was fine! He was fine! He was fine! He was fine. He was fine. he was fine...
...
Silence was all that was left.
No thoughts.
No sounds.
Pure
Unfiltered
Silence .
All until...
BZZT
His scroll buzzed.
Feeling the vibrations from his pocket, (Y/N) raised his head and pulled out the device to look at the message.
It was from Ruby.
"Hey (Y/N)! Hope you're doing ok! We all care about u so I hope if anything's wrong u can tell us! We're in the middle of a food fight with JNPR so I can't talk right now but the team hopes you're doing well. We'll see u in class!"
Smiling at the text, (Y/N) scrolled down to see a picture attached.
It was the team, hiding behind a line of vending machines with food in their hands like they were ready to fight with it. Ruby was smiling with glee, Weiss was focused on the barrage of cans that seemed to be coming from the left, Blake quickly tried to hide herself from the photo in embarrassment, and Yang posed for the camera without a care in the world.
They all seemed to be having a blast.
And they were still thinking about (Y/N).
(Y/N) smiled painfully at the photo, texting her back immediately.
"Thanks! I'm actually not going to class after lunch. I have some extra work from Ozpin. Don't worry, I already have it sorted out with him, so no need to tell the teachers. I'll just see you guys tomorrow. Bye!"
Sending the message through his scroll, (Y/N) couldn't help but stare at the ceiling.
Why did he lie to them?
And why was he crying?
This was so weird.
Closing his eyes, (Y/N) rested for the rest of the day.
At least he would be better tomorrow.
" Are you sure? "
The room was dark. Not a single ray of natural light illuminated the room. Only the dimly lit lights, aligned on the beams of the warehouse, gave humans the slightest ability to see.
Thankfully, it didn't really affect the faunus within.
Despite the appearance of being abandoned, the warehouse was actually full of people.
Almost all of them being White Fang members.
The White Fang was a terrorist organization made of purely faunus people. They originally fought for equality between humans and faunus, but recently, a radicalism leader started to use violence for their cause. This led the group to be more focused on the punishment of humans over the betterment of fauna.
But that didn't explain why they were doing work for the humans within the warehouse.
The dozens of white fang members that were inside the warehouse were actually for someone else. Their leader, Adam Taurus, would almost never agree to such a thing, but here they were, unloading cargo, organizing crates, patrolling the facility...
All for the humans that he now worked with.
Even the two that just arrived.
From the entrance to the warehouse came a pair of individuals, wearing gear that stood out compared to the others.
One was a green haired girl, walking with a pair of guns strapped to her back. She wore a pair of brown and white pants that didn't reach her shins, a white top with an olive-colored crop top, and a three-ringed armband on her left bicep. On the back of her top was a symbol of a cut gem, signifying who she was.
The other was a gray haired man without a weapon on his body. He wore a gray and black partial-zip jacket with a pair of black pants. He also had pieces of armor that covered his arms, creating an almost metallic look.
These were Emerald and Mercury.
And the reason they were gone?
They had to kill a White Fang runaway.
Ain't that just wonderful.
After taking care of the incident, they headed back to where their leader told them to stay.
Eventually leading them to Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan.
Now, Roman Torchwick was infamous. He was a criminal known by the public for targeting the dozens of Dust stores around the city, stealing their stock for all its worth. More recently, his collusion with the White Fang was found out by beacon academy after a fight with team RWBY last week.
Neopolitan, on the other hand, was less known. Even though she was also present at the fight, no one really knew who she was. The only thing known was the fact that she worked with Roman. Nothing else.
The only time anyone ever even witnessed her fight was from (Y/N).
Which was, unknowingly, a huge accomplishment.
No one usually lived to tell the tale.
Neither of those things mattered to Emerald and Mercury, however.
They would never hold a candle to their boss.
So not having a care in the world, the two of them walked calmly to where Roman stood, staring at a map of Vale's Dust stores.
At that moment, Roman turned away from the map to face his new acquaintances.
"Oh, look! She sent the kids again! This is turning out just like the divorce "
Finishing his sentence, Roman circled the two younger compatriots to hug them both, much to their chagrin and Neo's amusement.
" *disgusted* Spare us the thought of you procreating."
Letting go of the two, who immediately backed off at the opportunity, Roman walked past them to continue the conversation.
" That was a joke. And this ... just might tell me where you two have been all day?"
Pulling out a piece of paper that she hid from him, Roman watched Emerald's shocked expression from the act.
"I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention, maybe you'll learn something."
Reading the contents of the paper, Roman furrowed his eyebrows. He turned his attention back to the two of them, much more serious than before.
"Why do you have this address?"
Emerald, in a small act of defiance, took a step forward before speaking in a condescending attitude.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
At that point, Neo glared at the girl, not appreciating how she was talking to Roman.
But while it made Emerald flinch, it didn't bother Mercury. His focus was placed on the adult in front of him.
"Yeah, I would. Now where have you been all day?"
"Cleaning up your problems. One of them, at least."
" I had that under control. "
"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."
"Listen, you little punk. If it were up to me, then I would take you and your little street rat friend here and..."
"Do what , Roman?"
At the sound of a woman's voice, all three people shut up at once, putting their attention back on the newest member that arrived.
This was Cinder. The leader to this operation. The one that Emerald and Mercury followed.
The one with the magical ability to manipulate fire.
She was a black haired woman, who's hair swept to the left side of her face. She wore a red mini-dress with yellow designs around the collar, a blue feather like accessory on her right hip, and long dark red heels.
Her presence radiated power within the group, illuminated more by her glowing amber eyes.
Cinder was standing above the group, lowering herself down from a lift to meet the others.
Roman, who unconsciously backed away, laughed as he spoke to her.
"I'd, uh... not kill him?"
But on the other side of the spectrum, Emerald smiled in excitement at her superior's arrival.
"Cinder!"
But as Emerald approached her, Cinder walked past the younger woman, focusing her attention on Roman.
"I thought I made it clear that you would eliminate the would-be runaway."
"I was going to..."
Emerald, trying to prove herself to Cinder, spoke up loudly from behind.
"He was going to escape to Vacuo! Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."
"I think he was some sort of cat, actually."
"What? Like a puma?"
"Yeah, there ya go."
"Quiet."
Hearing Cinder's command, the two immediately fell silent.
"Did I not specifically instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale?"
Roman, who was silent at this point, laughed in agreement. And to add even more insult to injury, Neo gave a cocky smile towards the two in amusement.
"I just thou-"
Cutting her off, Cinder continued as Roman mimed a slit throat.
"Don't think. Obey."
Emerald, now downcast from her reaction, looked down in disappointment.
"Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."
Hearing the confirmation from Emerald, Cinder's head zipped back to Roman, glaring at how he's been acting the entire time.
"And you. Why wasn't this job done sooner?"
Flabbergasted at the question asked, Roman turned around to point at all of the crates around the group.
"Uh..? Eh..? Eh..? EHHHHH! Sorry if I've been busy stealing every speck of Dust in the Kingdom!"
Mercury, not exactly impressed by the accomplishment, mocked the veteran criminal.
"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask."
Not wanting to be made lightly, Roman glared at Mercury before going on a monologue.
"Look around, kid. I've got this town running scared! Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof, and we're sitting pretty on an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with! Speaking of which, if you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grand master plan, it might actually make my next string of robberies go a little smoother! "
Cinder, approaching Roman with a small grin, placed a hand on his face as she spoke.
"Oh, Roman. Have a little faith. You'll know what you need when you need to know it."
Roman stayed unamused by the action, however. Instead, he scoffed to the side, leaving Cinder to walk away from the man.
"Besides, we're done with dust. Our benefactors got what they needed."
Roman, hearing the word benefactors, immediately became curious about their names.
"And these benefactors are...?"
Cinder grinned at the question, loving to tease the older man with the information she possessed.
"None of your concern. All you need to know is that we got enough dust now."
Roman, grumbling at the lack of information, at least wanted to know what he had to do now.
"Alright. Then what now?"
"We're moving. Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."
"Coordinates?"
Wanting to give one last word, Cinder stopped in her place, giving Mercury and Emerald the sign to follow her.
"We're moving onto phase two."
And with that, she left, not glancing once more at the man behind her.
While grunting in annoyance, Roman could only watch as the three of them left his eyesight.
And when he tried to pull out a lighter, he couldn't feel a thing, leaving him to watch Emerald dangling it in front of him.
Not one of them noticed, however, that Neo left long ago.
After the monologue from Roman, Neo decided to go outside the warehouse, sitting underneath the cold night sky.
She couldn't be there anymore.
She was too focused on that night at the docks.
Under normal circumstances, she should have been fine. It wasn't the first time Roman and Cinder talked, and it wouldn't be the last.
But when she remembered the docks...
She could only think of one thing.
That huntsman with the bow and swords.
He was so... weird.
He may have been the same age as her, but even veteran huntsman would struggle against her. It wasn't her first time she couldn't beat someone, but still...
Why was he so strong? Where did he come from? What happened for him to become like that?
Yet there was one thing that made her question things more than ever.
His eyes...
He... didn't want to fight her. And yet... He was so ecstatic when he fought. He enjoyed the fight... but also, didn't want to fight?
Why was he so... paradoxical?
Was there some reason for his reluctance? Was there something going on for him to be acting that way?
Or did he just... not want to hurt her?
...
...
Who was he?
With only questions filling her mind, Neo hugged her legs tightly to think, trying to calm herself to find an answer.
And only one thought came up.
Maybe...
No, that's crazy.
But maybe...
She should ask him?