A/N- Feels like ever time I post a story here, I always feel like I have to start with some joke about how long it's been since I last wrote a thing. Not today though, you all know what I'm about by now. Anyway, were hopefully approaching the end of this little tale. Do we have time for a little angst? Always. ;)

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Chapter 21- Two Sides of the Coin

It was around midday in Mirage, Vacuo's capital city was bustling with life as the first night of the Lunar Lantern Festival drew near. Crowds of human and faunus filled the streets, many looking to grab that last perfect gift for that special someone before the stores all closed for the holiday weekend. Sticking out like a sore thumb among the masses was a familiar head of messy orange hair with brown spots and a pair of pointed canine ears.

Oran Bellows moved quickly but carefully through the groups of last minute shoppers wearing his usual outfit, but also a dark colored hoodie to help keep out the odd chill in the air as fall drew closer. He adjusted the strap of the old, worn bag thrown over his shoulder while wearing his trademark giant, sharp toothed smile.

The young faunus LOVED this time of year. The time off from school, the lanterns hanging in the windows of every house, not having to see the inside of a classroom for three days, the food, did he mention the break from school? But above all else; the gifts.

It wasn't so much that Oran was excited to receive gifts, that part he could always take or leave, but giving gifts? There was no better way to put a smile on someones face and that was right up the hyena boy's alley.

Speaking of which...

Oran's smile somehow managed to grow even wider.

Let's just say a certain silver haired partner of his might just stumble across a little something that may help brighten her mood while she was stuck at Shade all by her lonesome, or at least, he hoped that's how it would go. That's what the Lunar lantern Festival was supposed to be all about; bringing people together and making them happy. Again, that was basically Oran's entire shtick.

He planned to give Oreo and May their gifts once he got back to school after the break, but he wanted to make sure to give Nichol's separately. Oran knew that putting his often grumpy teammate on the spot in front of the rest of team MOON would be a bad idea. The odds of her accepting his present in the first place were low enough already, so he'd decided to be a little... sneaky about things. Maybe he was asking for trouble doing it this way, but no matter what, when he got back to Shade things would be interesting to say the least. For now though, the orange haired faunus was looking forward to a few days of R&R with his family.

Eventually the crowds around Oran started to get thinner and thinner as he walked further and further away where the airship had dropped him off in the center of the city . The buildings got a little less fancy the further he went, and more and more abandoned storefronts appeared as he came closer to his destination. It wasn't necessarily the "bad" part of town or anything, it was more... well, affordable was the polite way to put it. A part of the city that time had just moved past and forgotten. There wasn't exactly a high crime rate, no higher than anywhere else in Mirage, but it was closer to the wastes, which brought the property value way down. The walls around the city may be strong, and there hadn't been any major issues... yet, but the threat of a Grimm breach was ever present in peoples minds, enough to drive away any business that might want to set up shop there. Still though, it wasn't a bad place to live if you didn't mind a little risk and wanted some peace and quiet.

Soon the hyena boy found himself at an older looking building that had clearly seen better days. It was a far cry from the sprawling estate the Bellow's had left behind back in Villa, but it was home. Oran stared up at the apartment complex, a uncharacteristically melancholy look crossing his features. He missed that old house, it had meant so much to his parents, they'd put their hearts and souls into it. He wished he could see it again, but after... that night, the Grimm had dug themselves in deep and despite numerous attempts to retake the town, it remained a nest for those abominable monsters even all these years later. The negative emotions brought on by what had transpired that night left deep scars, the kind that lasted long after the tragedy had passed. Oran knew that firsthand.

The hyena faunus shook his head to clear the dark thoughts from his mind. No way he'd let ancient history like that get him down today of all days. Besides, even if they couldn't retake his old home today, tomorrow, or even the next day, it didn't matter, because in a few short years they'd have the best officially licensed huntsman on the job to help. Oran was looking forward to personally wiping the Grimm from Villa with his bare hands... well, more or less considering.

But that was the future, in the present, the hyena faunus' mom was up in their apartment waiting for him so the could hit up the grocery store to prep for the big feast tonight. So Oran brought back the brilliant smile to his face as he rushed inside the buildings front doors and started up the stairs. The elevator would have probably worked fine for anyone other than the often over-energized hyena boy, who cleared the steps three, sometimes four, at a time as he made his way to the fifth floor.

Maybe he was a little overexcited. It wasn't like Oran didn't already see his mom almost every weekend ever since he started going to Shade, but the two of them were always eager to spend some time together. They were all each other had really, well, aside from the occasional visit from McCaw, who always made it a point to stop by whenever he could to check in. The old bird faunus might have given up his huntsman license after Villa, but he still took up jobs now and then at the local mission board when he could to help pay for the apartment the Bellows had taken up residence in. It was weird actually, it seemed like McCaw had been around a lot more recently, or at least, he'd been there whenever Oran had come to visit. Which wasn't bad or anything... it was just something the hyena boy had noticed. That being said he fully expected his "uncle" to be coming over tonight as well. Considering all the old bird faunus had done and continued to do for the Bellows, the least they could do in return was treat him to a home cooked meal every once and a while. Really the holiday had Oran too wound up to dwell on such thoughts. Three glorious days with no homework and getting to spend some quality time with the people who meant the most to him, it was worth getting hyped up for.

By the time Oran finally got to apartment 511, he could barely contain himself anymore. He unlocked the deadbolt, as well as the many other locks on the heavy looking door, before practically throwing it open and yelling, "Guess who's home?"

However the only response he received was the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen and the smile plummeted off Oran's face as his heart dropped. He ran in so fast the pictures hanging on the walls shook as he passed them on his way to the source of the sound. The Bellows family apartment was small, but the ten or so steps it took the young faunus to reach his destination was long enough for a thousand horrible scenarios to play out in his head, many of them involving hooded figures in golden masks.

Oran finally rounded to corner to the kitchen, pointed ears up straight and his Gust Bracers already armed and ready, and there, kneeling on the linoleum floor he saw his mother, Carmen. She had one hand tightly gripping the edge of the countertop to support herself, while the other was clutched to the antlered faunus' chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Mom!" Oran yelled before rushing to Carmen's side, sliding onto his knees as well. He quickly checked the older faunus over for any injuries, or sign she'd been attacked, but aside from his mothers shallow breath and panicked expression he found nothing, aside from a few broken pieces of glass on the floor from the cup she'd dropped while washing.

"Oran... you..." Carmen struggled to get the words out between ragged intakes of precious air, "You know... you shouldn't... surprise me... like that..." she finally got out.

The hyena boy's pointed ears sunk low in shame as the true reason for his mom's current state became clear. He realized then that his loud, boisterous entrance hadn't been at all good for his mom's frazzled nerves. He'd just been so excited for this long weekend and the holiday and... he'd just...

Bad Oran... the young faunus chided himself.

Oran knew perfectly well how his mom was, how she'd always been ever since the night his father had been taken from them. You only needed to look at her disfigured hand to be reminded of what their family had been through. The tragedy and trauma of that night had taken a toll on Carmen over the years. She barely left the apartment, and even if she did, it was never by herself, and in case the giant, imposing, deadbolt on their door hadn't given it away, the Bellows didn't entertain many people these days either.

Oran's mom had essentially shut herself off from the outside world. The fear and pain the woman had endured at the hands of the maniac who'd attacked their home in Villa had just been too much for Carmen. Aside from Oran, the only person she seemed to want anything to do with was McCaw. It killed Oran to leave his sole remaining parent alone while he was at school when it was obvious she still needed him around, but thankfully, the beaked faunus had promised to keep an eye on her while Oran was studying at Shade.

The hyena boy rubbed his mechanical hand in a gentle circle on his mothers back, repeating the well practiced steps he'd learned at an early age to help ease the elder faunus out of one of her many panic attacks. "Can I get you anything?" he asked calmly.

The antlered faunus' breathing had mostly returned to normal. "Water... please..." she said in a tired voice.

Without a word, the orange haired boy stood, grabbed a glass and filled it halfway from the tap. He handed the cup to his slowly recovering parent and she smiled up at him as she graciously accepted it.

Oran crouched down to Carmen's level as she sat on the floor and slowly sipped from the cup. "I'm sorry," he said sadly, his ever present smile nowhere to be found on his face. Some days were harder than others, and this one was shaping out to be a real doozy, but he loved his mom with all his heart and would do anything for her, which just made the fact that he'd caused her this pain hurt that much more.

The antlered faunus finished her drink and set the empty glass on the floor next to her. She opened her arms wide to her son, "Come here," said softly.

Oran needed no more invitation than that, wrapping his arms tightly around his mother as the two embraced. "My beautiful baby boy..." Carmen Bellows whispered to the hyena faunus and the smile returned to Oran's face. That was what he needed right now, an ever present reminder that the two of them would be okay, always, as long as they had each other.

After enjoying the moment for a little longer, the hyena faunus rose to his feet, offering his parent a hand and effortlessly pulling her up as well. Oran looked down at the mess of glass still littering the floor and sighed. "I'll grab the broom," he said.

"That's okay," Carmen replied, "you just got home, why don't you go take a seat. I'll take care of this mess."

Oran waved off the idea, already reaching into the small cupboard and pulling out a broom and dustpan. "Nah, I got it," he said cheerfully, "besides we have to hurry if we're gonna get to shopping before the stores... all..."

It was then that the oblivious hyena faunus noticed the pots of vegetables and other side dishes cooking on the stove, not to mention the heavenly aroma of baked ham emanating from the oven. The big meal he'd been excited to help prepare -and eat of course- was already cooking? But how had his mom gotten the groceries for it? Unless...

Carmen seemed to notice her sons realization and suddenly looked a little guilty for some reason. "Oran, there's something we need to talk about-"

"You went shopping all on your own!" Oran said excitedly, so proud that his nervous mother had apparently managed to overcome her social anxiety and brave the trip to the store on her own. The orange haired faunus grabbed his mom under her arms and practically lifted her off the ground as he happily hugged her again.

"Oran, wait, please, I just need to tell you-" Carmen's word were lost on Oran as he spun the older faunus around in his arms, laughing happily as his excitement seemed to get the better of him yet again.

However, the sound of the apartments door opening and closing made him freeze mid spin, his hyena ears sticking up straight in surprise.

"I'm back, Carm," a familiar voice said from around the corner, " I managed to get the last can of..." McCaw trailed off as he stepped into the kitchen to see Oran and Carmen in the middle of some kind of dance. "Oh, Oran, we weren't expecting you for another hour or so, amigo."

The beaked faunus was in his civilian attire now. Gone was the oversized hat and poncho in favor of a plain looking red button up shirt and slacks. The semi retired huntsman also wasn't wearing his usual bandana over the lower part of his face, not feeling the need to hide his cracked beak around the Bellows family.

"Yeah... I was gonna say the same thing to you..." the hyena boy said with a hint of suspicion. He was more than a little surprised to see his "uncle" already here, McCaw usually did show up for the Festival, but not until much later in the day. It was an odd coincidence that, again, the beaked faunus had apparently arrived at the apartment before Oran did, but not an unwelcome one in the orange haired teens eyes.

"Thank you, Reid," Carmen said, walking over and taking the can of what looked like red sap jelly from his hand.

"Wait, who's Reid?" Oran asked, genuinely confused.

McCaw and Carmen stared at the younger faunus for a moment. "That's... uh... my first name, amigo," McCaw answered.

McCaw has a first name? Oran thought in bewilderment. Then he noticed just how close his mother and the red haired faunus were standing.

Carmen looked at her son, then to the man beside her who gave her a small nod. It was time to finally tell Oran. The antlered woman took a deep breath. "Oran, I... we have something we need to tell you."

The hyena boy eyed the two faunus across from him suspiciously. "Um... okay? Do I need to, like, sit down first?"

"No, no, it's nothing bad," McCaw said, "It's a good thing, or at least I hope you'll think so..." The parrot faunus rubbed the back of his messy red hair looking slightly embarrassed.

Oran was completely lost, possibly more so than usual.

"You see, sweetheart," Carmen continued, "I... didn't go shopping by myself. I had McCaw with me."

A wave of relief washed over Oran. "Oh, well that's not a big deal. I know you'll be able to go out on your own when you're ready." He was a little confused about why these two had made such a big deal about something like that, but if that was all this serious talk was about then the hyena boy figured he'd gotten off easy. Then again, the two faunus standing across from him still looked a little nervous, so maybe he wasn't out of the woods yet. "I mean, I'm just glad you hand Uncle McCaw looking out for you."

Carmen gave an anxious smile, "Um... yeah, the thing is Oran; Reid- I mean, McCaw has been... looking out for me a lot lately, since you've been away at school and all... and... well, he's actually been staying here these last few weeks..." The two older faunus looked at Oran expectantly, hoping he'd be able to pick up where they were going with this. Unfortunately the still clueless hyena boy just stared back at them in confusion. "... And... we've decided that... I'd like him to continue to stay here and... look out for me..." Carmen's eyes begged her son to comprehend what she was getting at, or at least say something to put an end to this incredibly awkward scenario.

Oran's green irises drifted between McCaw and his mom, the gears slowly turning in his head, starting to pick up speed, but still a ways away from understanding the obvious implication. Silence drifted through the apartment until McCaw gave an exasperated sigh before reaching down and gently taking Carmen's hand, entwining their fingers together tightly. The gazelle faunus' cheeks lit up pink as a small, shy smile snuck onto the corner of her lips. She looked down at her feet in embarrassment for a moment, but slowly her gaze rose up to McCaw at her side who smiled back, or as well as someone with a beak could.

Unbelievably, it still took Oran a few more seconds before the light bulb finally went off in his head. "Oh!" he said in excitement as his mind finally crossed the finish line, "Oh," excitement shifted to shock, "Oh..." which shifted to unease, "Oh, wow..." the hyena boy ran a hand through his mess of orange hair. "That's a... wow..."

A new level of uncomfortable silence fell over the small apartment as the awkwardness of the situation was cranked up to eleven. Oran's obliviousness had only poured gasoline onto it and now that the match had been lit the discomfort in the air had engulfed the entire home.

Carmen slowly stepped away from McCaw and towards her uncharacteristically quiet son. "Oran?" she said softly, "I'd love to know what you're thinking right now..."

The hyena boy gave his head a quick shake, still reeling a bit from this reveal. "Well, I mean..." Oran scratched the back of his neck, "sorry, I guess you two kind of caught me off guard. Here I thought it was something serious like; "You're adopted" or something..."

The joke got a weak laugh out of the two older faunus, but the look Oran's mother was giving him made it clear she wanted an "actual" answer regarding her sons thoughts on the matter. "Right, um... well, it sounds like what you're saying is that McCaw will be here, helping you, and me too when I'm not at school, keeping our family together, and just generally going out of his way to make sure we're both happy and safe," the hyena boy looked towards the beaked faunus, "That about right?"

McCaw nodded solemnly, "Of course I will."

Oran smirked. "Soooooo basically what you've been doing already for decades," he said with a shrug. "The only difference being that it'll be more... official? I guess?" The two adult faunus shared a look with each other. Apparently neither of them had really looked at it that way before.

"Look, is this a little weird? Yes. Awkward? Definitely," Oran went on, "But at the end of the day I just want my two favorite people to be happy," he said with another shrug, "and as far as I'm concerned, the two of you being happy together just makes that goal easier for me."

Carmen looked like she was about to cry as relief washed over hr features. She rushed over and hugged her son tightly. The antlered woman didn't say anything, she just latched onto Oran as he slowly rubbed circles in her back as they embraced. The hyena boy looked up to see McCaw smiling fondly at the scene before him.

However as soon as the beaked faunus made eye contact with the orange haired boy his smile faded. "Listen, amigo," McCaw said, his gaze drifting away as a look of guilt came to his face, "Carm- I mean, your mom, she means a lot to me, and so do you, but I just want to make it clear that I have no intention of replacing what you've both lost. Valen was-"

"Oh would you just shut up and hug us already, bird brain?" Oran said with an eye roll and a smile.

McCaw let out a snort of a laugh before stepping over and joining the embrace. The three of them stayed that way for a bit longer, before Carmen let go. She tousled her sons brightly colored hair, and then placed a hand on his cheek. "My beautiful baby boy... Thank you so much, I love you, Oran."

"I love you too, mom," the canine eared faunus replied.

With that out of the way, the antlered woman gave Oran's cheek a few pats before stepping away back over to the dishes she'd been washing. "Now then, both of you get out of my kitchen and make yourselves comfortable. Dinner should be ready in about an hour or so."

"Um... actually," Oran said with a sudden uneasiness in his voice, "I was... gonna maybe go see dad for a bit, if that's okay."

Carmen and McCaw seemed a little surprised by this. "Oh..." the gazelle woman replied. "I mean, of course you can, but wouldn't you rather wait until after we eat?"

The hyena boy shook his head. "Nah. Besides it's been forever since I last visited. Gotta get him up to date on things."

"Need a lift?" McCaw asked, "I can drive you if you want."

Again, Oran politely refused. "Sorry, I just... I got some stuff I wanna say only to him, y'know? Don't worry though, I swear I'll be back before dinner." The two older faunus shared a look of concern, but relented, and just like that Oran was back out the door, having not even been home long enough to remove off his jacket.

It was usually about a twenty minute walk from the apartment, but the fit faunus traveled at a brisk jog, reaching his destination in half the time. Eterno Riposo Cemetery was empty, most people probably having better places to be than somewhere as gloomy as this on what was supposed to be a joyous holiday.

The hyena boy slowed his pace to a leisurely stroll as he traveled down the same gravel covered road he'd walked many times over the last ten years or so. Clouds had rolled in, covering the sky and adding to the chill in the air. It would be a cold night, that was for sure. Oran passed many marked headstones, some with flowers or gifts resting beside them, and a few barren looking trees that littered the modestly sized graveyard, really adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

Before long, Oran found himself standing in front of a small, unspectacular looking slab of concrete sticking up out of the earth. Not many people got a proper burial in this day and age, the ever present Grimm's knack for devouring their prey or dragging them off to God's know where made the tradition fairly rare in most kingdoms. Oran supposed it was lucky that McCaw had the foresight to collect Valencio Bellows body before Villa had been completely taken over by Grimm. Although, shockingly, as the hyena faunus stood over his father's grave, he couldn't say he felt especially lucky in that moment.

It had been just over a decade since that night. Oran had made peace with what had happened to himself. His arms were gone, always would be, replaced with the cold, metallic, prosthetic ones he'd have to wear for the rest of his life, but losing his dad? That he still struggled to move past. Today though, it stung especially hard, the news he'd just received from his mom and McCaw putting another nail in the metaphorical coffin. His mom was moving on, and honestly, Oran had been telling the truth when he'd said he was happy for the two of them, the hyena boy just wished he could get there too. No matter what Oran did, the pain was just... there, ever present, like it was strapped to his back, like some kind of depressing fanny pack or something, and the only place he could go to alleviate it, was right here.

The orange haired teen smiled sadly as he gazed at his fathers headstone. "Hey dad."

"..."

"Hey pup."

"How've you been?"

"Can't complain, keeping the worms fed, I suppose."

Oran let out a bitter laugh. "That's not funny."

"Meh. Matter of perspective, I suppose. How about you? You started school yet?"

"Sure did. Shade Academy. Just like you."

"Hell yeah, you got a team and everything?"

"Yup. Team MOON. We're total badasses. Currently training to take the world by storm in the Vytal Festival a few months from now."

"And your teammates? You get along okay?"

"More or less," Oran went on with a smirk. "There's May; the leader of the bunch who somehow managed to keep our ragtag group from falling apart in the beginning days. Oreo; everyone's favorite cookie cat, who music's the living hell outta people, and my partner, Nicky. They all put up with me well enough, Nicky especially."

"Oh really now? Tell me more about her."

"Yeah, I can tell I'm not her favorite, but she still tutors me, keeps me from flunking out of school. Plus she's not afraid to give me punch when I'm out of line. Not much of a smiler, but we're working on that."

"Heh heh heh, sounds like just what you need."

"I mean..." Oran scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I don't think she feels the same way..."

"You blushing, pup?"

"... Shut up."

"Okay, okay, I'll let you off the hook for now. How's your mom holding up these days? You taking good care of her?"

Oran's smile faded. "Mom's... mom's good dad. Great, really."

"... Except?"

The hyena boy sighed. "... Except... her and Uncle McCaw have kinda, sorta, started... ugh... I don't even know what to call it... dating? I guess?"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, 'oh...'"

"That's... good. I'm glad she's happy."

Oran scoffed. "Figures, of course you'd say pretty much exactly what I'd say."

"Well, I mean, it's not like I'm really talking to you right now or anything. I'm just your subconscious saying whatever you'd think I'd say if I was really here. Of course we agree."

Oran's frown deepened. "... I know... you're gone... this whole pretending to talk to you thing, just... helps that hurt a little less, I guess."

"Hmm... I think you might be losing it, pup."

"Yeah, probably."

"... But you know I'd wish I could be there if you actually were talking to me."

"Yeah, because that's not confusing or anything," Oran said, his throat tightening and eyes starting to sting.

He didn't want to cry, not here of all places.

"I know you told me to keep smiling, but Brothers is it hard sometimes," the hyena faunus said, wiping his nose on his jackets sleeve. "Sometimes I wish you'd never even said those words to me."

'Smile and everything will be okay', that was the last thing Oran's father ever said to him, and the words were etched into his mind forever, a mantra he followed to this day. It was the final plea from the mortally wounded man who'd raised him just before he'd sacrificed himself to save Oran from that masked monster. A promise that the hyena boy would do what he could to make the world a better place. To be a beacon of hope and positivity in a cold cruel world. The kind of world where in one night a young boys entire life could be torn down.

The burden was overwhelming for the orange haired faunus, but a promise was a promise, and he hadn't just made it to his father, he'd made it to his mom, his uncle, and everyone else that'd suffered like him. That no matter how bad things got, no matter how dark and scary the world seemed, Oran would face it with a smile.

The hyena faunus closed his eyes, he tried to imagine his dad's face, but as years went by, it got harder and harder to remember. There were pictures, sure, but they only helped so much. The things with photos was they made Oran wonder if he was actually remembering his dad, or just this picture itself. But though some of Valencio's features had faded from Oran's mind, the one thing that remained steadfast were things like his smile, his laugh, and of course all those jokes of questionable quality. Those jokes had gotten Oran through a lot of hard times in his life. His farther was his hero, even years after he'd passed.

That was the kind of man Oran wanted to be someday. The role he'd chosen hadn't been an easy one, but it was worth it. He smiled so other people could too. People like Nichol, whose smile seemed to have disappeared off the face of Remnant. The hyena faunus would help her find it, not matter how long it took.

So that's what Oran did. Despite the tears in his eyes, he looked up into the cloudy sky and smiled. That's why he'd come here, whenever he felt himself crumbling under the weight of his promise, he'd visit with the man he'd originally made it to, he'd remind himself of his fathers sacrifice for him.

Oran took a deep breath, extraordinarily deep, even for someone with his semblance. Then, he exhaled slowly, letting out all those doubts and dark thoughts up into the sky where they'd burden him no longer. The huge burst of air rocked the nearby trees, sending a handful of leaves from each spiraling to the ground around him.

The care free smile returned to the hyena faunus' face. He looked back down to the gravestone with his father's name on it.

"You good?"

"Yeah... I think so," Oran said, flashing his pearly white teeth as he felt a sudden gust of wind blow through his shaggy mess of hair.

"Cool. So, tell me more about this Nicky girl."

Somehow, Oran's smile got even wider.

Once the sun had set over the deserts of Vacuo, a bitter cold snuck it's way into the sturdy bark and oak that made up Shade Academy. It didn't necessarily bother Nichol all that much though, she was sitting comfortable in her bed with a pair of pillow supporting her and a thick, warm blanket covering up to the silverettes waist. She was more or less in the same position she'd been in hours ago when Oran and Oreonna had left for their respective holiday breaks from school. Since Nichol knew she'd be alone, she'd even removed the armor she usually wore to get more comfortable, and was now clad in just the black two piece black ensemble she wore underneath. Team MOON's dorm was almost eerily quiet aside from the occasional sound of pages turning as Nichol quickly approached the end of "The Lost Melody". She'd been reading since her teammates had left, stopping only once to get some dinner before the cafeteria closed.

The stoic girl read the final words of the novel with a complex expression on her face, before gently closing the book and placing it in her lap. She stared at the golden lettering on the cover as she contemplated what she'd just experienced, finally finishing the story she'd first started reading all those years ago. The ending had been... well, not bad, definitely not, it was just... not what Nichol had been expecting.

The heroine of the tale had suffered much on her journey, all for the prize of her greatest wish being granted, but once her goal was finally in reach, she'd let it go. The girl instead chose to sacrifice her own happiness and dreams to save a friend that'd been traveling with her since the beginning of her story from a mortal wound.

Nichol just couldn't understand that. Why would someone go through so much only to give up everything they'd ever wanted? All for someone they'd known for only a few weeks? Perhaps the moral of the story was simply lost on the silver haired girl with everything else she had on her mind this evening. She made a mental note to reread the -actually quite enjoyable overall- story again once she had time, maybe she'd missed something. Right now though, with the sun having finally set, the time seemed right for Nichol to do what she'd been putting off for months now. She really wasn't looking froward to doing this, but it needed to be done.

After gently placing the borrowed book on her nightstand, Nichol stood from her bed, got on her knees and reached down to pull the large locked suitcase out from under her mattress, but stopped when she noticed something odd. Sticking out from under her pillows, the same ones she'd been reclining on for the last several hours, was a small piece of white fabric. The spear wielder gave it a quizzical look, it looked like a ribbon of some kind. Curious, Nichol lifted her pillow and saw underneath it sat a silver colored box, wrapped in a white ribbon, the end so which being what had caught the young huntress in trainings eye.

Right away, Nichols first reaction was suspicion, assuming the worst; that someone had sneaked into the dorm and planted some kind of trap or sinister message for her to discover. However, her paranoia was replaced with aggravation when she noticed the tag reading "To Nicky" on the box.

Oran. Of course. Nichol thought to herself with an eye roll. She picked up the package to examine it, turning the box in her hands looking for signs that this was part of some kind of insufferable prank from her partner. It appeared normal enough, at least on the outside, just a nondescript, mildly decorated box.

The silverette stared at the package in her hands. It was a gift? From Oran? For the Lunar Lantern Festival no doubt, Nichol was able to put that much together easily enough. It would surprise no one to know that Nichol had never taken part in the faunus created holiday, for obvious reasons, but she knew enough about the tradition to know that gifts were meant to be exchanged on the third day. Had Oran really expected her not to find this thing for another two days in such an obvious hiding spot? Nichol scowled a little as she remembered how difficult it had been to get comfortable in her bed when she'd first settled in to start reading, and she had a feeling she was currently holding the reason as to why. However much like everything her nuisance of a teammate did lately, the stoic girl found the gesture... confusing.

Why had Oran done this? Why go through the trouble of even getting Nichol anything in the first place? Why make her a part of his peoples custom? The silver haired girl sighed. The ultimate question however, was; Why did Oran do anything he did? Nichol had wasted hours of her life pondering just that, and to no avail.

Needless to say, Nichol hadn't gotten any of her teammates gifts for this ridiculous holiday, not out of any malicious feelings or anything, she just... hadn't expected any of them to even consider getting something for her. She just wasn't a fan of the whole gift giving idea in general. The concept of receiving something without having earned it didn't sit right with Nichol in the first place. It made her feel like that by accepting a gift it meant she'd owe the party responsible something in return, an obligation of sorts.

Despite her misgivings though, Nichol couldn't deny that there was an odd feeling of excitement and curiosity as the silver haired girl held the box. Nobody had ever actually given Nichol a gift before, well, not since... her mother...

There was a brief moment then where the spear wielder found herself subconsciously pulling at the plain white ribbon holding the box closed. I mean... if Oran comes back and sees I haven't opened it, he'll probably make a big scene about it. That would be annoying, Nichol thought to herself. Besides, it would be rude not to open it... right?

By the time Nichol had successfully undone the ribbon, she came to her sense.

What was she doing? She didn't have time for this... this... childishness, she had work to do.

After reestablishing her emotional defenses, Nichol threw the half opened package over her shoulder without a second look, where it hit the floor of the dorm with a soft 'thud'. The silver haired girl took a moment to breathe, before pulling the large suitcase out from under her bed and unlocked it with the key she always kept on her person.

Following another moment of mental preparation, Nichol lifted the lid open. Inside was a menagerie of things, mostly related to school, a few old clothes she never wore anymore, the spool of leather she used to tie the braids in her hair, nothing of great interest at first glance. However, the silver haired girl pushed all those things aside, going to the bottom of the case. Tucked away in the corner, was a bundle of tightly wrapped cloth.

Nichol regarded the bundle with a troubled expression. it had been a long time since she'd last laid eyes on that. With one final note of hesitation, the huntress in training picked up the wrapped object, undoing the cloth around it to reveal a golden mask.

It was meant to cover the top half of the face, the eyes and nose, with pointed tips that went down over the cheeks, and a pair of curved hooks on each side that wrapped over the ears, holding the mask on the wearers face. Nichol stared down at her own reflection in the black lenses that covered the eyes, her look a mixture of regret and disgust.

This mask had been her mothers once. As a child, Nichol would often ask to hold it. She remembered trying to wear it as well, despite it being much to large to fit her small head back then, so she could only look through one of the lenses at a time. She'd loved this mask once. It had symbolized strength, or rather it had belonged to the strongest person she'd ever known, the person Nichol had always wanted to be like. Now however, all that the mask had represented had been tarnished and warped into something ugly, by Nichol's own hands no less.

After all, Nichol had taken up this mask while working for Sterling.

Yes, she'd loved this mask once, but now it only served as a reminder of years of her life she'd wasted on bloody, misplaced vengeance. A relic of an old life that Nichol wanted nothing more than to erase all traces of, and now, with her teammates away, it was as good a time as any.

The resolute teen placed the mask on the floor before reaching even further under her bed to a small paper bag that had been hidden behind her suitcase. She opened it to check it's contents were undisturbed. Inside was a pair of bright red, burn dust crystals, one about the size of her palm, and the other twice as big, along with a thick leather belt, all of which seemed to be in the same position they had been when they were purchased a few days ago. Reaching one final time into the area beneath her mattress, the spear wielder pulled out a thick, heat resistance glove, which she'd "borrowed" from Shade's forge. It would be necessary for handling the dangerous dust once it'd been activated.

Nichol gathered the odd assortment of things in her arms and walked over to the large window in the dorm, opening up the side that wasn't being used by Maybelle for her makeshift garden she'd set up along with Oreonna. Then, she grabbed the small, metal trash can next to her desk, dumping out the few crumpled up pieces of paper inside before placing it beneath the open window. Next, Nichol took out the smaller of the two dust crystals, and with the heat resistant glove on, activated it with her aura. Immediately she could feel the intense heat from the dust, even with the protective glove on, and she quickly placed it in the trash can. The smaller crystal would burn out quickly, especially when used in such a... primitive way as this, so Nichol knew she didn't have time to waste, and held the small mask over the burning dust.

She took one final look at the mask in her hand. A part of her didn't want to go through with it, but if anyone ever found this it would arouse too much suspicion and that would draw attention Nichol didn't need or want. Still though... it was the only keepsake she had from her mother, the only reminder of the woman she'd looked up to most.

Nichols hand shook and she grit her teeth in frustration. She knew she couldn't allow something as foolish as sentimentalism to endanger her plans. This had to be done. So mustering up all the strength she had, the silver haired girl dropped the mask into the bucket.

The metal the mask was composed of didn't last long under the intense heat, and Nichol watched with a heavy heart as it melted into a puddle of hot, yellow goo in seconds. Whatever smoke the was created by the dust was pulled out the window and into the cool night air. Just like that, it was gone.

The silverette closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, though it did nothing to ease the knots in her stomach, but it was over. One less thing that could expose her. The next item on her to-do list however, Nichol knew was going to be an even bigger hurdle to overcome.

Once the dust had burned itself out, the teenager picked up the bucket with her gloved hand and brought it, as well as the rest of her supplies into the dorms bathroom. She ran a little cold water from the sink into the trash can, eliminating the last of the heat inside. The girls orange eyes lingered on the crumpled up piece of gold at the bottom. It hurt to let go of the past, but Nichol knew this next part would hurt so much more.

Setting the metal can to the side, the spear wielder took a moment to stare at herself in the mirror above the sink. Without her armor on she couldn't help but realize how... small she looked, stripped of her defenses, it made her feel incredibly vulnerable. Right now, she didn't feel like a warrior or a soldier, just a girl who'd managed to make every wrong choice imaginable in her short life.

With a huff, the stoic girl reached to her waist and pulled the top part of her black outfit up over her head and tossed it to the side, revealing her pale arms and neck, as well as the grey colored tank top she wore underneath. However the most distinguishable feature revealed was the large, black tattoo taking up her right shoulder. It was a black hand print, with a 'x' over the palm and the dark inky fingers seeming to dig into the girls soft flesh. This was the symbol of the Hand of Humanity.

Nichol looked into the mirror with disdain as she traced the 'x' with her index finger. She hated this tattoo- no, it was a brand, a sign of ownership to the one how'd given it to her; Sterling. He'd put this mark on the spear wielder in honor of Nichol completing her first mission, a sign that she'd been officially accepted into the ranks of the organization he led. The tattoo was a dark, ugly, black smudge on the silverettes soul, and much like her mask, it was time for it to go as well.

Nichol took a small first aid kit out from the cupboard under the sink, the same one all dorms at Shade had in case of emergency. Inside was an assortment of bandages, aura gel, pretty much everything you expect to find in a school were the students sparred with each other on the regular. She placed the kit on the nearby toilet before taking the thick, leather belt from her bag and folding it over twice. Then, she put the sturdy piece of material in her mouth, biting down into the belt to test it's effectiveness.

It would do.

The usually composed girl felt a feeling of dread at what was to come, the beating of her heart reverberating off the walls of the small room she stood in. Nichol picked up the larger dust crystal with the glove. It was a little harder for the teen to activate this one in the face of what it was about to be used for, but eventually it lit up just like it's smaller compatriot.

Okay, it's okay, Nichols body trembled. She tried to hold back the panic, panic would make her aura activate and that'd just make this harder. The silver haired girl turned so that her tattooed shoulder was facing the mirror. She'd already measured it out, but unfortunately the largest piece of dust she could buy without raising suspicion would only be able to cover about half the tattoo, which meant she'd have to do this twice to completely get rid of it. Fantastic.

The huntress in trainings orange eyes were wide open as her breathing became ragged, she held the burn dust over her skin trying to keep her hand from shaking any more than it already was. She did not want to miss. Every cell in the girls body was screaming for her not to do this, but this was the only was to get this tattoo off her body without letting anyone else find out about it.

The silver haired teen grit her teeth into the leather, then pressed the burning dust crystal onto her skin.

Nichol thought she knew pain, thought she'd become accustomed to it, but she was wrong.

She did her best to not scream, the school might have been mostly empty but Nichol knew she wasn't the only one who'd stayed here for the holiday, and the silverette didn't want to risk alerting anyone else to what she was doing. The spear wielder bit hard into the belt, but a muffled wail still manged to escape.

The pain was one thing, but what Nichol hadn't considered was the smell. The second she pressed down the silverette nearly doubled over as the putrid stench of burning flesh invaded her nostrils. Her stomach wretched at the smell, but luckily she somehow managed to keep her dinner down.

Nichols right hand gripped the edge of the sink so tightly she was concerned it might shatter. The natural instinct of her body to fall to the ground and curl up into a ball until the agony subsided screamed in Nichols mind, but she couldn't afford to stop now. After all, the job was only half done.

With indomitable effort, the spear wielder was able to lift the still burning dust crystal and pressed it back down a little to the left of the first time, covering what remained of the tattoo. Again, muffled groans of agony filled the bathroom. One of Nichols legs buckled under her and she fell to a knee, the dust crystal clattering to the floor as she gripped the edges of the sink for dear life. The silver haired girl breathed heavily past the leather belt and her locked jaw as she pulled herself back to her feet, she had to be sure it was done. The grotesque sight that awaited Nichol in the mirror as she took in her own handiwork almost made her flinch away in horror, but she'd done it, the mark was gone.

The huntress in training reached over to the first aid kit. She tried to move her right arm, but the intense pain that caused in response made it clear she'd be dressing this wound one handed.

It was about twenty minutes later when Nichol left the bathroom with a messily wrapped shoulder. In her wake, team MOON's bathroom was a mess. Packaging all over the floor, a couple of burned out dust crystals in the sink, and not to mention the smell that had began to waft out into the dorm proper. The silverette didn't care though, she was done, and she would have plenty of time to clean up before her teammates came back in a few days. Hopefully her shoulder would be mostly healed up by then, or at least enough so that she could hide her injury under her armor.

She couldn't move much more than a finger on the arm she'd burnt, and after fighting with it for a few minutes, had given up on getting her top back on. Nichol leaned against the door frame on her good shoulder, still panting from the energy she'd expelled doing something so... well, even she had to admit it was reckless. But like she kept telling herself, it was done, another piece of her past had been destroyed.

It was strange though, Nichol thought she'd feel happy- well, maybe "happy" was a stretch, but she'd expected at least a bit of relief having finally gotten this over with after all this time, instead she just felt... empty.

Her past was gone, but what did that leave her with? She'd fought for the Hand nearly her entire life, and while she had very few good memories of her time with them, that group had been her everything, her home, not much of one, but still. What was she without them?

A student? Hardly. She'd snuck her way into this school. While others like her teammates had worked, suffered, and trained tirelessly just for the chance to attend a school as prestigious as Shade Academy, the silver haired teen had merely thrown a considerable amount of lien at the first seedy forger she'd come across and had gotten fake transcript within an hour.

Was she just another normal, average teenager then? No, she'd never been "normal" and never would be, not after all the blood she'd spilled. Hell, she knew more about pressure points and soft tissue than she ever would about... well, whatever normal did with their time.

So then what? What label would society give someone like her? The answer was obvious enough, though it didn't hurt any less for her to realize. Nichol was a fugitive, a criminal with no family, no home to go back to, and nowhere in the world that would ever truly accept her.

Nichol felt a sudden cold settle upon her, an indescribable chill of realizing she now truly had nothing, she'd thrown the last parts of herself away in a desperate attempt to free herself of them.

... Or maybe it had something to do with the window she'd left open...

The spear wielder sighed loudly as the curtains swayed gently and even more of the cold air found it's way into the dorm. A small oversight, but an annoying one, as the temperature of the room had dropped exponentially in the time Nichol had spent in the bathroom. The silverette shivered, wishing she'd been able to cover up a little more at least. She dragged herself over and with a bit of effort, still one handed mind you, managed to shut the window, stopping the source of the chill, but it would still be a while before the dorm warmed back up.

The teenager looked out into the vast desert surrounding Shade Academy. Even she knew she had a tendency for melodramatic and depressing thoughts, but at that moment Nichol couldn't help a sliver of loneliness from sneaking into her heart at the sight of the vast emptiness around her. This room just felt... wrong to her without the constant noise and antics of her teammates. Just like the desert, it felt empty, devoid of life. However, overshadowing both of them, was the emptiness Nichol felt inside right now.

It was solitary moments like this when she couldn't help but hear Sterling's voice in her head. She thought back to the last words he'd said to her after beating her nearly to death.

"My dear sister, we both know that without me, you are nothing."

As much as Nichol didn't want to believe that was true, she couldn't deny just how little she had right now. A small, mostly empty, suitcase hidden under a mattress, that she managed to fit her entire life in to, and a stolen piece of technology, that was all that she had to her name. Usually when thoughts like this invaded her mind, Nichol would simply drown them out, telling herself things like; "It's better this way," or "She didn't need anyone, or anything," but with everything she'd been through in the last half hour, her mental defenses were at an all time low, and she was forced to face the reality of her situation.

Oddly, Nichol actually found herself almost wishing a certain orange haired nuisance was there with her... almost. Oran would probably make some idiotic attempt at humor that would have the spear wielders eyes rolling right out of her own head, but at least that would provide a bit of a distraction from own dark thoughts. Unfortunately, it looked like the silverette was on her own.

But as Nichol took a step back towards the relative comfort of her bed, she felt her foot nudge something on the floor. She looked down to see the package Oran had left her, it's lid having been discarded, probably when she'd thrown it. Inside was something that had a garish, yet familiar shade of orange to it.

Maybe she was still delirious from the pain, but for some reason Nichol found herself giving into her earlier curiosity and bent down to better examine the gift with her good arm. There was a small card on top of the orange mass. The spear wielder gently lifted the card, instantly recognizing Oran's abysmally, messy handwriting.

"Something to keep you warm on those cold Vacuo nights."

Below the message was what appeared to be a crudely drawn self portrait of the hyena boy in lieu of an actual signature. Nichol turned the card over, looking for more information regarding the cryptic words, but the rest of it appeared to be blank. With a quizzical look, the silver haired teen let the card fall to the floor as she returned her attention to the actual contents of the box.

She cautiously reached out to the mound of fabric and gently poked it. This was Oran after all, and Nichol still wasn't sure that this wasn't some kind of idiotic prank. There seemed to be no response to her prodding, so the silverette placed her whole palm against the cloth and pressed down, and still there was no reaction.

It felt... soft, really soft, the material was unlike anything Nichol had ever experienced. Now fully enticed, the silver haired girl took the fabric by the corner and finally pulled it out of the box. It turned out there was even more to the piece of cloth hidden underneath, and the spear wielder pulled and pulled until she had about five feet worth of fabric, the ends of it tasseled.

It was a scarf. An orange scarf. Nichol studied the mundane article of clothing like she'd never seen anything like it before, but in reality she was still trying to process the meaning behind this gesture.

Oran had... gotten this.. for her? Why? Aside from for the obvious holiday. She hadn't asked for anything like this from him, she hadn't even made any indication she needed something like this. There was no obligation or need for him to do this, Oran had just... done it.

Again though, Why!? Nichol suddenly found a strange, unidentifiable anger building in her. She didn't need this, she... she didn't even want this!... But then... why was she holding onto the scarf so tightly?

Maybe it was because deep down inside, in the part of herself that Nichol thought she'd thrown away a long time ago, she was able to understand what the gesture meant on some level. The anger faded as the silver haired girl ran her thumb over the soft fabric still clutched in her left hand. She brought the scarf up to her neck and clutched it tightly against herself.

Oran got this for her, because he cared, that was the reality the spear wielder had just been unable to accept. Despite how distant and cold she'd been to her faunus partner for months now, he'd still gone out of his way to get her something for a holiday she didn't even celebrate.

Nichol felt something stirring in that emptiness inside herself. Turned out there was something there, something that neither Sterling nor the Hand had given her, no, it was hers and hers alone.

She thought about her teammates; How May had worked with Nichol instead of against her to keep her at this school, how Oreonna and herself had finally managed to find common ground despite a rocky start, and not to mention the long list of kindness and patience Oran had showed her since the day they'd met.

These people, were her... friends? If she was even worthy of calling them that, they all cared about her, and somehow, without even realizing it was happening, Nichol had started to care about them too. The connection they all shared, though it had been forced at first, had grown into something the silver haired girl had never truly had before, a bond.

Nichol's chest ached, the big nothing inside herself feeling like it was about to implode in upon itself at this sudden realization. The walls she'd built up to avoid this very situation felt like they'd just been hit by a tidal wave. This is what she'd been trying to avoid, getting attached. Knowing that any bond she made would just be another thing that Sterling could use against her one day. Yet, despite her precautions, here she was.

It was then that Nichol felt a tear slide down her cheek and the feeling of it snapped the silverette back to reality. The spear wielder scoffed. "So melodramatic," she whispered to herself in disdain. What was she doing getting all worked up over a scarf? It was just a random piece of cloth, probably mass produced in a factory the same day as a thousand others just like it.

Nichol rose from her crouched position, shaking her head to regain her focus. She absentmindedly went to wipe away the tears residue with the end of the scarf, only to stop the moment the material touched her cheek. It wasn't just soft, this scarf was also very warm. The usually quite stoic girl rubbed the fabric against her cheek again, enjoying the pleasant feeling of it against her skin. The sensation it brought a stark contrast to the pain she'd just inflicted upon herself.

Okay, so it was a very nice piece of random, mass produced cloth.

The silverette stared at the scarf for a moment before loosely wrapping it around her neck a few times. It was still cold in the room, that was why she was wearing it, no other reason, not at all.

Whatever feelings she was still trying to understand, Nichol had all weekend to figure them out. Right now though, her shoulder still hurt, and she was exhausted. So the silver haired teen crawled back into her bed, burying herself under it's thick blankets. She made sure to leave her right shoulder uncovered, since it was still very sore, choosing instead to rest on her left side tonight.

As Nichol laid her head down on her pillow, she found herself involuntarily nuzzling into the warm, orange scarf around her neck. However, the effort to try and move it was more than she cared to expel at the moment, so she decided to just enjoy the extra bit of comfort it provided.

Nichol sighed contently into the scarf, her last thought before sleep took her being, Stupid thing... it even smells nice...

Meanwhile, on the other end of the continent of Sanus, a ship was pulling into harbor. The docks were a ghost town, the workers having gone home hours ago, abandoning piles of shipping containers waiting to be unloaded another day.

Only one figure stood at the edge of the fog engulfed pier, waiting for the inconspicuous looking boat to make it the shore. they wore a thick gray robe, and the top half of there face was hidden behind a golden mask.

No boats were scheduled to arrive tonight, but the organization this man belonged to had made certain their arrival was expected, but not at all noticed. After the ship was tied down by the small crew manning it, four more cloaked figures stepped off the boat, dressed the same as the man waiting. Then, a fifth man appeared, wearing a mask that covered all of his face and had a pendant over his chest depicting a hand print with an 'x' on it.

Sterling approached the waiting member of his cabal, his other subordinates waiting behind him. "Report," he said bluntly.

The man who'd been waiting smiled proudly. "We've found her," he said pulling out his scroll from beneath his robes. "One of our contacts reported a girl with silver hair and oranges eyes meeting with a local forgery expert for new documents." The man transmitted a file from his scroll to Sterling's as he went on, "We questioned the forger and he gave us her name; Nichol Cuillere."

"Cuillere..." Sterling said with disdain. "Of course she would use her maiden name. Foolish girl. And the forger?"

"After he told us what we needed, we ensured he'd never tell anyone anything ever again." Sterling's subordinate said coldly.

"Good," the Hand's leader replied with just as little emotion. "What kind of documents did she need forging?"

"Check the file I just sent you. I think you'll like this, my liege."

Sterling pulled out his own device, opening what he'd received. Beneath his mask, his scarred lips curved upwards into a sinister smirk. "Well, well..." he said, looking at a copy of the transcript for Shade Academy, as well as a picture of Nichol walking down the street with a trio of faunus.

"Two birds, one stone."

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A/N- So maybe you were expecting me to deal with the awful cliffhanger I left off on with Oreo and May. Well, that'll have to wait until next time. This stories just not as exciting for me anymore, looking forward to finally getting it done, not to the point I originally intended, but a good enough stopping point.

This chapter was fun though. I think Oran and Nichol are fun to write, even though i do love torturing them. :D

Not sure how many chapters left. Finish up the holiday arc next time and then we're into the finale. Should be fun!

Review/Fav!

See you next time!