AN: College is a biatch. So here I am, currently finish this chapter up after semester's end, after months of no updates. This might be the most inconsistent fic that I've ever updated. Anyway, not a lot to say here, so let's just get onto the chapter.

[Aftermath]

As I stood there on the grounds of the Amity Colosseum, staring at my would-be killer in the eye, he came. Someone who I had conflicted feelings for ever since I found out who he is, and what he meant to me. A man who by all means should've pushed others away by his presence alone, yet seemed to draw me in nonetheless. One who lives his life as if it were his last, reminiscing upon the broken moon with a flask of alcohol in hand and a broken expression in the other.

That wasn't who I saw right now. The person currently swinging his cloak of blades in an overwhelming frenzy wasn't the hopeless, broken man that Jaune and I knew all too well. At that moment, that man now resembled the faceless figure from my dreams, the one that sought to find my sister and an ice cream in Vacuo. The one who had taught me to shy away from the fame, and the hidden blades that surged forth upon taking the spotlight. The same figure who had carried me to safety when an endless tide of darkness seemed to wash over the sands and render everything that I loved dead. He was there, up on the same stage as Cinder Fall, pushing through amidst her blades and flames with an indomitable cloak of blades watching over him like sentinels. Jaune had told me that it was difficult to manifest Aura as a solid object - that it was infinitely easier to channel it through a medium to trigger its effects instead. How strong is Professor Acht's - no, Hachiman's - strength of will then that he is able to use not one, nor two, but sixteen blades of a pale gray shimmer, whirling upon Cinder Fall like a cyclone? Even with everything that I can throw with my Semblance... I'm not sure I can stand up to that.

So it only stood to reason that Cinder Fall died. That her parting words of seething rage and broiling metal were stopped short by a blade of one's soul piercing straight through her heart, rendering all of her efforts to sabotage us for naught. The world would see Hachiman as a hero, lauded as the individual who stopped a sinister plot to destroy Vale right in its tracks. Yet the expression on his face made me doubt, watching the slightest grimace form on one side of his lips as he brought out his blade from Cinder Fall's heart and ran it through her head. The sight should have made me queasy. At the very least, if I was in any other situation, I would have already been retching on the floor. But without Aura - but lacking the strength of will to push myself just a tiny inch forward, I merely watched on the sidelines. Unable to help. Unable to do anything.

Just like Vacuo.

I watched as my savior ripped out his blade of Aura from Cinder Fall's head, the crimson liquid dribbling down the edge of the blade and forming drops that splattered against the colosseum floor. The sword made from his soul dissipated into motes of gray light, Hachiman stumbling forward by a single step with knees all but slamming against the ground, and he let out a hoarse scream that chilled me to the bone. I wondered why. She had killed so many people in her quest to gain the Fall Maiden's powers. Why was he so affected by it?

My gaze turns towards the dissipating cloak of blades, and everything clicked. Aura, in its oft-told form, is the manifestation of one's soul. It requires a great deal of willpower to draw it out to use as a weapon, but it wasn't the only cost. Since Aura is the manifestation of one's soul - the very essence of a person laid bare - then what would happen should they use it to take the life of another?

… A great part of my mind tells me to ignore the question. It was compelling, but I disregarded it nonetheless. At the very least, it explained why one of the strongest people I know is down on their knees, next to the cooling corpse of a mass-murderer, and screaming their very heart out until their throat grew hoarse.

Silver dances around the edges of my vision, and I finally lose myself to unconsciousness.

[Aftermath]

I wake up to the sight of a bland and smooth wall of gray. The steady beep of a heart monitor was the first thing to come to my senses, then the shuffling of clothes, of voices loud and awake, then a cacophony of noises that threatened to pound against my ears. I whimpered and tried hiding underneath the pillow, the harsh light from the edge of my vision fading away somewhat. Pain flashes through my arm, but Aura quickly heals it just as the heart monitor starts to emit a long beep. The noises grated even more now, shouts and things being scattered around the area, and I slammed my Semblance against everything in the room in order to gain some peace and quiet.

The heart monitor is broken. A few people were groaning, but at the very least their voices didn't grate into my ears. The room became darker as well, and I can't help but let out a small, relieved sigh before finally turning back around and seeing who made all the ruckus. Red hair, black, and yellow mixed into one incongruous mess, and my throat warbles as I grip my covers tight to try and say something. Anything. To let them know that I'm here- "Pyr!"

Warmth courses through my body as I found myself being held up against a cool metal breastplate. His body stank underneath, the hoodie doing nothing but accentuate the odor, but just the fact that he was here is enough. It was a bad idea. I'll never do it again. Words tried to spill themselves out of my lips, but I can't seem to articulate for myself as I grab him close and wrap my arms around him even tighter. The uncomfortable metal pressed against my cheek, but it was easily remedied by my Semblance taking the breastplate out of the way. I missed him. I really do. Never again am I going to do such a thing again.

"Jaune… Jaune… I- Jaune..."

"It's fine, Pyr. Everything's fine. We're all here." I felt the stress leaving out of my shoulders for each sentence that Jaune said, rubbing my head the same way as Professo- Hachiman - did. "You're okay. It's not a dream. You can cry."

So I did. I babbled and spoke and teared up, words scrambling together into one hideous mess as I tried to fix myself once more. A few agonizing minutes passed before I could finally take a few moments to heave and breathe, slumping against Jaune's embrace as he kept on stroking my head. If he was doing it to calm me down, then it's working. I can finally reach for the last memories that I had before I fell unconscious, one of... One of a... One of Hachiman. "Jaune."

"Yeah, Pyr?"

"Where's Professor Acht?"

Silence. I had come to learn that it wasn't a good thing. With trembling hands, I gripped onto Jaune's hoodie and pulled back, cupping his cheeks against my palms to see the devastated expression on his face. A pit formed in my gut, and a slight glance to both Nora and Ren told me things that I didn't want to think about. Things that I didn't want to acknowledge. Things that I wanted to stuff in a box at the back of my mind and forget that it ever existed. "Jaune", I urged, tugging on his face as panic began welling up from the depths of my soul. No... It couldn't be, right? It's just not possible. He's strong. He protected me. He can do it again. "Jaune. Where's Professor Acht?"

"Mr. Branwen escaped capture two weeks before you woke up, Miss Nikos." A cold voice entered my ears, and I release my grasp on Jaune's head before whirling around to see General Ironwood blocking the door behind him. The cold tone drained up all of my anger, but in its place rage began building up. I knew that tone. It was the same one that they used to make me accept being a part of their little 'group'. A way to break bad news in a solemn manner. "He delivered you to medical care after you well unconscious, but we were unable to track him down after that."

An uneasy silence came after, mostly because his eyes were carefully watching the rattling objects scattered about the room. Jaune and the rest of my team froze, suddenly looking like they had no idea what to do, and it only reinforced the sinking feeling in my gut even further. "Where's Professor Acht."

Now, it wasn't a question any longer. Still, it took a few more minutes to get a reply from General Ironwood. And it wasn't one that I wanted to hear. "Mr. Branwen has been designated as a criminal by Atlas, and is thus currently a fugitive, by all intents and purposes. You will not, under any intents or purpose, aid or abet him, or we will designate you as an accomplice to his crimes as well. Am I clear, Ms. Nikos?"

The first hunk of metal flew at his face nary an instant later.

[Aftermath]

"Hey, Cereal Girl." I look up to find Yang draped over the seat next to the ruined terminal, shooting me a wide grin that I ignored in turn. My gaze turns back towards the letters splayed out all over the table, a letter-opener right by the edge of the table. Or at the very least, a chunk of metal that I picked off from somewhere. As much as Beacon was getting its repairs done with unnatural quickness (I have seen Professor Goodwitch roaming around the halls at night), you can still find some ruined parts of the school tucked away in some hidden corner where you would least expect it. It would seem like Blake had been in a lousy mood these past few days, given that the adult books section of the store had been reduced to splinters and ashes.

She had blamed the White Fang for that. No one made to argue.

"What is it, Yang?" The words came out curt and to the point, my hands reaching out to accomplish a part of my daily routine once more as I began cutting open the letters. Most of it were from my mother, inquiring about the current state of Vale's affairs and subtly asking whether or not I was fine. This, coupled with the daily news in Argus stapled with the letters, were a pretty fine picture of what I had been doing for the past few weeks since I was awake. "Go bother someone else if you're just here to have some fun."

As expected, Yang reared back, not used to the kind of contrite way that I spoke nowadays. To be fair, most of RWBY was concerned with their own state of affairs, what with Weiss being taken back to Atlas with her father. "Woah Cereal Girl, finally got some bite in you, eh? We should go and celebrate, you know? Maybe head out into Vale some time, hang around a few bars, meet up with a few guys-"

"Not interested." I shut down, slamming another letter down on the table as my eyes focused on one of the articles relegated to the reemergence of Roman Torchwick in Mistral. Given Professor Acht's - Hachiman's… past, I'm sure that he tagged along with him. Or at the very least, Roman Torchwick knows where to find him. "If you want to play around, then do it with someone else. I have something important to do."

"Like finding out what Roman Torchwick's up to?" I keep on rifling through the newspapers, eyes flicking to and fro to find some kind of connection... some kind of evidence to find out if Hachiman was with him and whoever his accomplice is. "Trust me Cereal Girl, I've already been through this once. Remember Blake and her White Fang obsession? Sometime, I have got to talk with Torchwick and find out as to why everyone's interested in him."

"This isn't your business, Yang. Shouldn't you be more worried about trying to get your teammate back from Atlas?" I asked, and by the way Yang flinched I had managed to strike a nerve. A second later, she was held up in the air by my Semblance, Ember Cecilia fully-drawn and a snarl on her face. Cute, really. If it wasn't for Hachiman, then she might have - no, she would have - died to Adam Taurus of the White Fang. A month and a few weeks after the attack on Beacon, and she still hasn't learned her lesson? Hachiman would've made a face in disgust. It was by mere coincidence that I find myself doing the same.

"... I have no time to play with you, Yang. Now be off." I finished after a few seconds of her raging at me, flinging her out of the shattered window with my Semblance and returning back towards my work. Yes, work. It wasn't a hobby that I could just drop off whenever I wanted, but a responsibility - I wanted to find him, to give my thanks to Hachiman for saving my life all those years ago and today. At the very least, I owed him that.

My gaze turned towards my surroundings, finding a disgruntled figure with blond hair trudging towards me while scratching the back of his head. It was obvious that Jaune didn't want to do this. And it was obvious by the way that he stopped before addressing me. "... Pyr."

"Jaune."

He gestured towards the empty seat beside me, and I motioned for him to do so. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his armor. A wise decision, but one that made me more suspicious. It was as if he didn't trust me that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Still, I ignored the flinch of my eye and watched him rifle through the articles that I had already rifled through, his lips pursed and blue eyes taking in everything that the articles had written. Roman Torchwick resuming operations in Mistral. A new apprentice to help him with his thefts. Gang wars. It was obvious that Roman Torchwick and whoever was with him (I hoped that it was Hachiman) were causing as much chaos as possible in order to... what, exactly? The Grimm weren't particularly enthused to pound against Mistral's walls even with the increased violence in the Kingdom, so it wasn't as if negativity was at an all-time high. There has to be something that I'm missing.

"So... You're still intent on finding him?"

I freeze, turning towards Jaune with a cold glare, only for him to chuckle and shake his head. "Pyr, I also want to find him too. I also want to thank him for saving your life, and possibly Vale. But the things that he's done, if the General and Professor Goodwitch is correct..." He shuddered, indecision making its very distinct mark on his face. At the very least, he's starting to see things my way. "Is this why you're trying to search for him? To ask if everything that he did for us was..."

He trailed off, motioning listlessly with his hands while I kept my silence and began rifling through this week's paper. A sigh escapes Jaune's lips a moment later, and he leans back against his seat, the wood creaking against him. "I'll help you in finding him, Pyr. But... but if you want to just let him free, after all that he's done, then I'll disagree with you on that one."

"Hachiman-"

"Professor Acht took Ruby hostage, Pyrrha." Jaune stressed, his hands clenching into fists as his eyes gained a stormy look, teeth gritted in a barely-concealed snarl. I sympathized with him, I really did - but if he didn't stop, then he would be getting the same treatment as Yang. "His own family. Half-sister. Or whatever the hell his relation is with both of them. Whatever leeway I had with him was thrown out the window the moment he did that. He's going to have to answer for that, at the very least."

"Then we'll just agree to disagree, then." I replied in an emotionless tone, flicking through yesterday's paper and finding another article of the escalating gang wars in Mistral. A picture of a firefight in action, with Roman Torchwick and that Neo girl in center frame up against a couple of thugs with Dust rifles, but something felt off. Then a second later, it clicked. I splayed the article on the table, ignoring Jaune's glance towards me, and I narrowed my eyes at what I had initially dismissed as a smudge amongst the alleyways where the thugs had apparently come from. There, on a ledge overlooking the entire battlefield, a blurry smudge. I would have just tossed it away as a printer's mistake...

… If it were not for the unnatural lines of gray plastered behind it. A cloak of blades, if I were to make an educated guess.

"Bingo."

[Aftermath]

Two and a half months had passed ever since the attack on Beacon, and I was still under technical house arrest for trying to murder a General of Atlas. But at this point, I didn't care for the dark rumors springing up around me, nor the growing distance between me and my teammates. Only Jaune understood, but his goals were against mine. Ironic.

However, the view from the top of the dormitories wasn't so bad. I can see as to why Hachiman likes it so much. So much of the city that he can see from this angle, looking over Vale the same way he did so for me. A shudder escapes my lips, my shoulders shaking against the crisp night air, but I ignored it as I slowly fished out a photograph from my blouse's pocket. There I saw Hachiman once again in his glory days as team THOR's ranged support, scowling at the camera while mirroring the same expression that a younger Roman Torchwick had. My vision blurs as a thumb passes over my sister's visage, her smile as blinding as ever even under the scorching heat of Vacuo's desert. Frankly, I'm even surprised to see that she can even wear those kinds of clothes without baking herself from the inside out, but I've been told that she just carries a pack of ice Dust with her at all times.

Once more, I am reminded of their absence. Of my sister's warmth, of Hachiman's standoffish gaze, and Jaune's idle support. Here I am, once again alone at the top. What's the point of it all when everything just falls apart at the end, really? I couldn't save my sister. I can't do anything to help Hachiman, and Jaune's doing everything he can to drive our mentor out instead of helping him. What else can I do? I... I've got nothing.

All except for another letter hidden within the pockets of my blouse, laden with the weight of the dead.

It was a quaint little thing that my mother had sent me along with today's letter and newspaper, nothing more than another envelope sealed inside another. The moment that I saw the telltale stain of sand on what was supposed to be pristine paper, I knew what it was. What it contained. Who had written it. And to who it was addressed to. My hands trembled at the thought of reading it, my throat dries when I try to speak the name of who had written it. I can't even form the words to read a single letter on the damn thing without breaking down into tears.

But I had to try. Another hitch comes across my breath as I brush over the letter, my fingers pinching the sandy corner of the envelope and trembling to take it out. I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes and drawing the envelope out in one go before slowly opening my eyes once more. The letter stared back at me, completely silent. Containing the voices of the dead... and mocking me for unable to even stomach the sight of it.

My heartbeat quickens, the blood rushing to and from different parts of my body as I tremble once more, but now I don't know the reason as to why. It might be the cold or the fact that I was now holding my sister's last will in my hand, but I suddenly found myself unable to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Take a deep breath. Let it all out. It was supposed to be easy, but it became harder to do it the more that I focused. Damn it. Damn it all.

I just don't want to be alone anymore.

"Hey, lil' sis." I blink, finding the envelope that contained my sister's will a few paces away from me and emitting a hologram of... her. My sister. Tears threatened to blur my vision, but I wiped them off with an arm while I burned all of the details into my mind. The bright smile. It was always the bright smile that I always locked onto. So happy, so carefree... Sometimes, I wonder as to why she always acted that way. "Happy to see me? Be sure that you do. Mom, Dad, and even Hachiman got actual letters. All except you, of course. I needed to splurge on you somehow. Even after, uh... my death."

Bright blue eyes flitted away from my gaze, and I held my breath as I reached out with an arm in order to touch my sister. They looked so much like Jaune's when he's excited about something. Always optimistic and confident, even if she was a completely different person before she went to Vacuo. Even so, my hand just passed through her, and I couldn't help but choke back a sob as I draw my hand back as if it were on fire. "So... sorry I couldn't treat you to a graduation ice cream. Like, I know that you eat tons of it at home, but you haven't exactly tasted Vacuan-made ice cream. All except for that one time wherein Hachiman bought you some, but... yeah, that's it, really."

She cleared her throat, with hair the same shade as mine bouncing happily even if she looked like she had been running for over a mile. "Right, anyway where was I? Uh... farewell messages. Right. I-uh, already said what needed to be said about Hachiman himself in his letter, so uh, I'm sure that you'll be disappointed that he wouldn't get to be your brother-in-law. Sorry about that."

It was nothing to feel sorry for. That's just the way how life is. My mouth opened to speak those words, but no sound came out. "So anyway, he'll still make a good older brother, you know. Always watches over you like a hawk when he thinks we're not watching. It's too adorable I tell you, and I'm rambling about him again, aren't I? Damn it, I'm a bad sister."

No you weren't, I wanted to cry out. Even if she was a bit scatter-brained, and a little weird, and a bit too vicious when it came to weeding out my crushes, it wasn't as if she's a bad sister. She was the best. The very best of the best. I'm sure that not even Hachiman could beat her when she's on the hunt for that one kid that made my cry during one of my visits in Vacuo. Or at the very least, I didn't remember him joining in the hunt, but then again he was the ranged support wasn't he? Maybe he was just hanging around with a Dust rifle aimed at the kid, ready to pull the finger on the trigger. It fit him to a tee, the same way that he was a perfect fit for her.

"Anyway, I have a feeling that you guys are going to be sad when I'm gone. You and Hachiman, specially, but I guess it's obvious, isn't it." She scratches her cheek, glancing towards the side while letting out a strained laugh. "Ugh, what was I thinking, straddling myself along here without so much as a backup..."

My sister takes a deep breath, the brevity gone from her eyes as she stared at me from beyond the grave, the pre-recorded hologram even recording the moment her lips shift into a thin line. "... Pyrrha. Don't live in the past, alright? Too much hassle and baggage waiting for you there. Not to say that they aren't important - because they are - but you're going to be losing out on all the good things that you haven't seen before. I should know. I've been keeping Hachiman here as a replacement for Hera, only to realize that... he's so much more. Now, I would've liked to kick myself for being such an asshole, but there's not enough time for me, is there? If you're watching this, then I'm dead. Not much else that you can do, lil sis. Now be a good girl, alright? I taught you well. Don't be like that dick Hachiman. Greatest big sister in the world, out."

The hologram beeped, my sister's figure dissipating back into thin air as the envelope began blinking once or twice before shutting off entirely. Moments pass before I find myself prodding the thing to see if it still works, and the fact that my sister's figure appeared once more was enough evidence that it still is working properly. My hands reach out to the hologram, shutting off the device with the press of a button, and a shudder escapes my lips as I lean back against the wall and let the cold seep through me. The tears stopped, the only evidence that they were there in the first place being the faint glimmers that streaked down my cheeks.

With quivering steps, I began making my way back to our dorm, clutching the sand-worm envelop tightly in my hand.

[Aftermath]

The Bullhead was eerily silent, save for the sound of the engines. I stared out at one of the few portholes, finding a vast sea leading towards a large strip of land, then further that was a small, tiny blip of a sheer cliff amidst an entire mountain range. Inside it lies Mistral, our vehicle's current destination. Not a lot of our fellow first-years came with me, given that most of them lived in Vale and the neighboring villages, but one that did come with me sat on the other side of the Bullhead, taking up three seats on the opposite aisle and blankly staring at the dull gray metal on the ceiling. Did Jaune have relatives in Mistral? I had always thought that his family lived in Vale.

… But now was not the time to ask such questions. What I needed to do was to review my plan, and hope that everything works out. However, everything relied on getting in contact with Torchwick. And as much as the man is as flamboyant as the press makes him out to be, he wouldn't be a very good thief if he knew where to hide. And I couldn't just skulk around the less... favorable parts of Mistral in an attempt to find him. There was much less incentive for that, given that my disguise wouldn't hold up to intense scrutiny. Enough to avoid the media yes, but not enough to escape a criminal's attention.

And I'm just throwing myself into the fire. Tyre would be so proud of me right now. I'm not sure if I considered it a compliment or not.

In any case, it has been three months since the attack on Beacon, and Vale is finally looking like a decent city. People have been mingling about at night, but were still understandably fearful, and almost all the Huntsmen and Huntresses out of Vale had been recalled back to the Kingdom to work in twelve-hour shifts. Most of us in Beacon tried to alleviate the grueling shifts as well as we could, but it wasn't as if we could hold a candle towards those who actually had more experience than us in the matter. At the very least, we were a stop-gap solution at best, and even we had to take our break from the countless hours spent in the early hours of the morning, watching out for any Grimm on the horizon. Thus, the hastily-put together vacation.

Most of us had rolled over and accepted it, but even I knew that the sigh of relief that I let out upon exiting Vale airspace was nothing short of genuine.

"Ten more minutes before we enter Mistral airspace." The speaker crackles and the pilot's voice comes in through the line, the sudden noise causing Jaune to awaken from his impromptu slumber and rouse himself from the uncomfortable bed. I would've giggled at the sight, but I instead settled for a light chuckle behind the back of my hand as he checked his weapons and back before pumping a fist in victory. Frankly, it was disappointing to see that his airsickness was gone. Then again, Hachiman had beaten it out of Jaune during the latter's short tenure as his apprentice.

"Pyr, where are we?" The question makes me blink, and I glance towards Jaune with confusion dancing on my eyes to find bleary blue eyes blinking into my own. I sighed in realization, steadying my hands and forcing myself to smile the way I did before... all of this.

"We're about ten minutes away from Mistral, Jaune." I lightly chided him, finding it hard to get out of the familiar tone that my voice just... slipped into. "You shouldn't just sleep through the entire trip. Who knows if there was some kind of emergency on the way there?"

"Uh, right... I'll remember that." The last cobwebs of sleep seemed to fade away from Jaune's expression, and his easygoing expression now turns into a flat line and an even flatter frown. "Thanks for your concern, Pyrrha, but I can take care for myself just fine."

I didn't bother replying back, instead just giving a nod and turning back to staring at the landscape. The Bullhead banks ever-so slightly to the left, the sheer cliff now mere tens of meters in front of us just as a hole in the smooth stone reveals itself and we pass on through. The hairs on the back of my spine rises at the sudden feeling of claustrophobia, only to be dismissed an instant later as the Bullhead finishes the pass and we find ourselves in Mistral's docks. Even here, the city seems to be full of life, blimps of all shapes, sizes, and designs, and I could see Jaune's wordless wonder as he flicks his eyes all about the small porthole. As for me, I grew even warier as the Bullhead touched down on a relatively clean dock, the ramp behind us opening up as I released my seatbelts and made my way down towards the underworks of Mistral with Jaune trailing just a little bit behind me, still awed by the size of the docking complex that lied underneath Mistral's steep city structure.

My feet moved with purpose, eyes scanning left and right as we were directed towards a relatively deserted customs building and waived through without much issue, if one didn't count the flocking of the staff upon finding our identities. After that, a few members of the border patrol that we passed through gave us a wave, and we return one back with a smile before continuing on our journey towards Mistral's main streets. The route I could still remember with unerring clarity, and my feet pounded against the stone floor as we were once again ushered through another security checkpoint before we were allowed to enter Mistral's bustling metropolis.

The sudden afternoon glare did little to lighten up my mood, but it seemed to work for Jaune, the faint wisps of a grin forming on his face as he keeps on whirling around whenever he tries to take a single step forward. It takes about a few minutes for him to catch up, and even then the grin still hasn't been wiped off his face as he laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me from clambering towards the nearest bar located about two decks down from where we entered Mistral proper, bordering the line between the average establishments and those toeing the line of the law.

"Pyr, what are you rushing around for? We can sightsee for a little bit, right?"

"You do that." I reply back, testing the door's grip before unlocking it with a slight pull of my Semblance. Jaune opened his mouth to stop me, but something in my gaze made him freeze. I saw the shift in his expression, the tensing of his muscles as I slam the door open towards the closed bar-

"Argh!"

A wooden stool topples over as Roman Torchwick tumbles over like a heavy sack of potatoes, his iconic hat tumbling away from his grasp and rolling straight towards us. It didn't help that it had a metallic bond, making it easy to control its path with a relatively unnoticed use of my Semblance. His eyes shone with visible confusion, then turned into shock, his jaw hanging open as he tried grabbing something to prop him off the floor. It seemed that he was tongue-tied for whatever reason. "T-Tyre…?"

Right. There was that. I sighed, shoulders slumping forward while I gingerly removed my contacts, and the thief's expression quickly morphed into a grimace while I stepped to the side and allowed him to see Jaune. Glass shattered later, and the woman who almost killed Yang materialized on a nearby stool, parasol slung over her shoulder as she stared at us with a quirked-up smile. Two-for-two, but just in case that things go wrong my gaze flickers towards the blonde, heavyset woman by the bar. It was a stand off, and the result of months of planning and tracking. How many hours have I spent poring over secondhand news, trying to connect everything together into one coherent (albeit tangled) train of thought? At the very least, my first intuitive guess was correct. Step one done.

Step two... "Ah. Well, as much as I'd like to see the prodigal children return, I'm afraid that you just missed your dear mentor on the way out."

… The first metallic object that I saw crumpled under a dark gray light.

[Aftermath]

"All that time wasted..."

"Now, now, at the very least you found me, right?" Torchwick asked, waving his cigar with his usual smile while his assistant nodded along with him. "I can point you to where he's gone. Or at the very least, make an educated guess."

I frown at the unexpected generosity. "Let me guess", Torchwick once again spoke, eyes glimmering with malicious mischief as he leaned across the table with a grin, "You're suspicious because I'm not exactly a generous person. Maybe trade a favor... help me with a job or two, something like that coursing through your mind?"

"Pyrrha-"

"Relax, kid." The thief sighs, pushing Jaune back into his seat with the tip of his cane. I noticed that the base was still smoldering for whatever reason. Maybe he had just gotten back from another job, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of us. I tensed, waiting for a strike that never came, and met Torchwick's grin with a frown on my own. "Think of this as a freebie, from me to you. I already have enough of my plate just by dealing with Neo over here, and I can't exactly deal with any other hanger-ons without exhausting myself. At the very least, Hachiman could take care of himself. You guys...?"

We couldn't. That much was obvious, and if Torchwick wanted to heckle us, then he would find no reactions from us. A few seconds pass before a sigh escapes Torchwick's lips, taking another drag from his cigar and letting the smoke billow about the room. "You guys are no fun." He states after a moment, "Well, might as well get on with it then. Less time for me before I send you guys away and the like."

He grins, tapping his cane against the floor as I felt the hairs on my body stand up. "So, knowing that idiot, he's just following my orders to take a break. Well that, and brooding about our latest problem, but you're not here for that." Torchwick tosses a catalog on the table, grinning like a loon. "Boil it down to the basics, and Hachiman's more liable to take the easy way out, if you know what I mean. A bit easier to look for tourist spots rather than striking out on your own, after all. Might be safer than sticking it up on the open road, where there's less bandits around, you know?"

My brows turned up in confusion as I gingerly pick up the catalog from the table and began browsing through it. Most of the catalog was about Mistral, its history and culture, and most of the damn thing was littered with various tourist spots on the city itself. From what Torchwick had said about Hachiman's whereabouts, then it was most likely that he was sent away from the main city, but still within Mistral's borders just in case that the thief needs his help. If that was the case, then almost all of the information here is useless, save for a brief blurb about a tourist attraction in-

"No." I breathed, eyes wide in revelation as Torchwick stares at me with unabashed curiosity. The catalog drops to the table, and I scrape my chair back as I quickly scrambled out of the door and contacted my mother. While the CCT tower in Vale was destroyed, the CCT in Mistral was still functioning, and I held my breath as I waited for the call to connect. "Please don't. Don't be an idiot, Hachiman, please..."

What was he thinking? Argus has a strong Atlesian presence, even going so far as having a garrison situated at a bluff overlooking the small town. By all means, it was the worst place to visit during a time where he's being hounded by Atlesian forces. Then again, there was a saying that the best way to hide is to choose a spot wherein an opponent would least likely expect it. A lesson drilled into us time and time again during his tenure with us as one of Beacon's combat professors. At the very least, it is comforting to note that he does what he preaches.

Then again, there was the inherent risk that he could be found...

... My gut wrenched even further as I saw my mother's face. The large grin on her lips did nothing but make me shudder. There were a few things that could make her smile like that. "Hello, dear. Judging by this call, it seems that you're already in Mistral. At what time are you going to Argus? I have someone that I'd like you to meet."

If that wasn't a confirmation of my worst fears, then I don't know what is. "W-Who is it?"

"Oh, just some random drunkard that I met on the street." My mother replies, the mischievous glint in her eyes rising to the surface once more as she saw the frown on my face. "Ah, don't worry about me, dear. He just needs some help, is all. I mean, he still hasn't seen the statue yet, but we're getting there." She dropped her voice into a conspiratorial whisper, narrowing her eyes for no apparent reason. "Although he does remind me of that 'Acht' fellow that Atlas has been trying to find for months now. Keep this a secret, hm?"

"I will." Not that I'm doing it already. Even so, it wasn't as much of a problem compared to-

"So... Professor Acht's in Argus huh?"

I yelped, immediately turning the scroll away as I whirled around and shot Jaune a glare. His eyes were focused on my scroll however, which proved to be his undoing as my mother soon spoke up from the other end of the line. " Pyr, who was that?"

"N-Nothing, Mom..." I trailed off, stomping on Jaune's foot and shushing him whenever he tried to open his lips. For added effect, I stomped on his foot again, although this one was just for petty revenge. "I uh, almost tripped. Should've paid more attention to the road. I mean, I am now, but you know that-"

"Pyrrha Nikos, get that young man on the scroll." I winced, stomping Jaune's foot one more time before angling the scroll towards him. I can see the moment where my mother's eyes turned from sharp to motherly in an instant, and I can't help but let out a strangled sound out of my lips as she began to coo at Jaune. Not the time, and definitely not the place. "Oh. Why hello there young man. Do you mind telling me who you are and what are you currently doing with my daughter?"

Jaune froze like a deer in the headlights, blue eyes locked onto my mother on the scroll, and a wry laugh escapes his lips when I threatened him with another stomp on the foot. "Uh, my name's Jaune Arc, ma'am. And I'm uh... helping Pyrrha find our mentor."

"Ah." My mother's voice turns wistful, a flash of emotion crossing her gaze before turning back to her usual smile within the span of a second. "Little Hachiman, right? I do remember him from a long time ago. He's your teacher now, isn't he? My, how far he's come."

"He's also a wanted fugitive by Atlas." Jaune curtly replied back, and my mother tried her best to smooth down the irritated expression that cams across her features. It worked, but only on him.

"And Atlas has no business in butting into the affairs of Mistral. Am I wrong?" Jaune looked tongue-tied, and a part of me cheered on my mother for as long as it lasted. In any case, my mother glanced towards me, and I nod as turn back the scroll towards me, a watery smile on my face. " Dear, when are you coming home?"

"Today." I replied, "I'll be taking the first train to Argus."

"Do let me know when you're near the house, alright? I'm sure that you'll like my present for you." There was the glimmer of mischief once more, and I couldn't help but chuckle along as a thin smile forms on my face.

"Sure do, Mom."

[Aftermath]

I'm in jitters, pacing back and forth along our compartment in the train while the landscape passes by in a blur. Jaune was currently hunched over his scroll, shoulders tense and a hand occasionally twitching towards his sword, but nevertheless didn't do anything. Both of us were deep in thought, that much was obvious.

One more push, and we would meet our mentor after three long months. And Jaune and I still differed on what we thought about the matter. He was on the mind that he should answer for the crimes pitted on him, and while I was sure that they were hogwash, I knew that what he did to Ruby was a bit... iffy to forgive. I could understand Jaune's anger, but it didn't mean that he had done it for no reason. Atlas was pinning the blame on the attack of Beacon on Hachiman, and it meant that they were constantly looking for him all around the Kingdoms. Mistral had been in an uproar about it, the protests at the train station being a blatant result of Atlas' 'intervention' into international affairs, and they were basically on thin ice with every other Kingdom in Remnant.

Vale had been hit hard most, since it was Atlas' ships and mechanical soldiers that had fired at them during the attack on Beacon. The amount of resentment skyrocketed the moment they realized that Atlas troops still hadn't fallen back in search of their 'fugitive', and the amount of tension was palpable in the air, if the CCT articles that I keep finding were any indication. Nothing more than a spark, and... it wouldn't be good. Everything's already coming out of the rug, and it would seem like Atlas is beset by enemies on all sides. All of their own design, of course.

Peace is already seeming like a fleeting thing to chase for at this time. Would Remnant really plunge itself in another war?

My shoulders couldn't help but shudder when I find that I couldn't answer the question. "Pyrrha. What would you do when we finally meet Professor Acht?"

That was the question, wasn't it? I still haven't even gotten an answer to it, as much as I would like to have one by this point in time. So close to the end of our goal, and I'm getting cold feet. Shouldn't I be more determined about this? That I could find some measure of closure in finding Hachiman and making sure that he's alright?

… Although that may be where my fears lie. That Hachiman would be fine without us with him, and that he'd go on without even looking back. He did the same for Ruby, didn't he? His own half-sister and cousin-by-law, used as a hostage to ensure his escape from Atlas. What if that was who we are to him? Nothing more than mere pawns for his own goals? I don't even know as to why he's doing all of this. Letting the blame fall on him for the attack on Beacon, evading and escaping Atlesian authorities, alienating any kind of ally that he might find in the process by taking his own sister-cousin-whatever-Ruby-is-to-him hostage, and aiding and abetting a known thief in establishing a criminal empire right under Mistral's nose? Why do all of this?

Was his concern for Jaune and I nothing more than a fabrication? That he'd willingly use us and our connection towards him to further his own goals? Was this what Jaune was worried about all along? That I somehow lost myself into believing that he had some altruistic goals to justify his actions, that I was banking on my prior knowledge of him being the older brother that I never had?

"I don't know." It was the truth, and it sickened me to the core that I found myself unable to trust Hachiman, after all that he's done for me. All it took was for me to think for a bit and question everything, even the actions done by one of the few people who cared about my wellbeing. "I... I think I pulled a Blake."

"You did." Jaune didn't mince words. Not anymore, after what he had to go through during the fall of Beacon. In retrospect, it was an idiotic move to just shuttle him away without even giving him the chance to fight with me. After all, he was about as skilled as me, and by running off to fight Cinder Fall alone, it meant that I haven't had much trust in him as I assured him. Perhaps it was once of the many reasons as to why we're stuck in this sort of cold war with one another. Why it became infinitely easier for him to speak up on what he perceives as mistakes on my part. And worst of all, he'd be right. "And even though it makes it a little easier to deal with now that you know, it still doesn't solve the fact that we have no idea on what to do the moment we see him."

My gaze turns towards him, and Jaune gives me a brittle smile. "Come on, Pyr. He's the main reason why I'm who I am today." He chuckles, gazing down towards his hands, roughed and callused to an extent that you could not believe that he had just started Huntsman training a year before. "All of what I do, I owe it to him. Instead of just expelling me from Beacon, he trained me. Gave me ways to fight back. Allowed me to stand on the same level as you. How could you think that I just threw it all away the moment that I heard he took Ruby hostage? That he became a fugitive being hunted by Atlas? That he'd go to Mistral and start a criminal empire, of all things?"

There were tears in Jaune's eyes, even as he curled up into a ball and gazed out the window of the cabin. "How do I even muster the will to fight against the one who made me who I am today? See if you can give me an answer, Pyrrha."

I couldn't. Jaune knew that as well. All that we could do was to curl ourselves up into a ball and stare onto the surrounding landscape to hide the dread that we felt at our very souls. All this due to a relatively simple question.

If... If Hachiman was as bad as Atlas made him out to be, would we stand with him, or against him?

[Aftermath]

"Greatest big sister, out."

The hologram disappears as I shut off the device, hiding the sand-ridden envelope back into my pockets. Jaune stared at me in slight worry out of the corner of his eye, yet I ignored him as I took a deep breath before knocking on the door to my home. Once, twice, thrice the sound echoed throughout the house's interior, and a hole formed in my gut while I waited for someone to answer the door. When the hinges swung open and I found my mother's haggard face peeking out from behind the door, I immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Ah, hello dear. And you too, uh... Jaune." She spoke with good cheer, casually opening the door and letting us through with a wave of her arm. Jaune shuffled on through, a sheepish smile on his face as he apologized for butting in, and my mother spent a few seconds humoring him before sending him off towards the living room. It didn't take long for my mother's smile to crack and for her to turn towards me, grabbing me in a hug as I blankly returned the gesture.

"I-I'm sorry, dear..." Her voice cracked. "I swear that he was just here a few moments ago, b-but he left. H-He left the ring, saying that he didn't deserve it."

"Mom..." My voice lowers down into a whisper as I strengthen my hug, the flash of fear that lingered on the train ride crossing into my voice. "Who was it?"

"You should know who it is."

Exactly. That was what I was worried about.

I pulled away from the hug, meeting my mother's gaze as I gave her the best smile that I could muster for the current situation. "Don't worry, mom", I promised her, "I'll get him back and make him apologize to you. Make sure of it."

"Pyrrha..."

"Jaune, let's go." I barked, causing him to meet my gaze as his grip tightened around his rapier and shield. He raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I replied with a grim nod. His armor clanked as he began marching over towards us, and I turned towards my mother one last time before hugging her once more. "I swear I'll get him back, mom. Promise."

I felt a hand on my head, ruffling my hair as I pull back and nod towards Jaune. "See you later, mom."

"Later, dear."

We began to sprint less than a second later after my mother shuts the door closed. Jaune turns towards me with a question, and I quickly answered him. "Hachiman went somewhere. Judging how my mom reacted, whatever he's doing... it isn't anything good."

"Obviously." He drawled with a put-upon sigh, pulling out his scroll and motioning it towards my gaze. I nodded, pulling up my own and splitting up at the next junction, Jaune barreling onto the main square while I began my sprint to circle around Argus' walls. It didn't take a few seconds for my scroll to start ringing and for me to answer the line. Jaune's face was on the other end, face set into a grim line, and I upped my pace. Hachiman just had to make things difficult for everyone.

"Checking in." Jaune's voice echoed from the scroll. "You found him yet, Pyr?"

"No." I reported back, quickening my pace even further as I stop just before the walls of Argus and clear it with one single bound. The guards rear back in surprise, but I had already tossed them my Beacon ID while I situated myself on one of the highest vantage points along the walls of Argus. Scanning the area didn't take long, and it was easy to find a moving gray blob in the green cliffs that surrounded Argus. What the problem was however, was the determined gait that they had while moving towards the edge of the cliff.

My gaze turns toward the scroll, seeing Jaune's worried look. "He's by the cliffs", I said, already shooting off towards Hachiman's position as he grew ever closer towards the edge. "I... don't know what he's doing, but it's best if we can make him stand down for a while."

"Got it." Jaune replied, shutting off the connection on his end while my feet pounded against the dirt track leading towards the cliffs. If anything else, I was glad that I was wearing sneakers compared to heels. It made me run a little bit faster, and made me tackle Hachiman to the side before he could do whatever he was supposed to do.

I managed to ignore the instinct to retch as Hachiman's fist buried itself and my diaphragm, but I was still able to let out a gasp of air as he tried to cover my senses with the gray cloak that he currently had on him. My Semblance reaches out, snagging whatever metallic objects he might have on him, and a part of my mind let out a sigh of relief as I found a belt buckle somewhere around his waist and used it to reel him in.

He let out a grunt of surprise, and I used that instant to chuck off his cloak and restore my vision on him, only to find an elbow headed towards my thigh. Another burst of Semblance makes his fist clang against my greaves, yet my right leg was rendered numb for an instant by the force of the blow, and I found myself staggering a step back while Hachiman moved in to disable me.

This time, his fist clanged against Akouo, my ears ringing from the sound of the blow while I stagger back once more and send my shield flying with a flicker of my Semblance. Hachiman ducks and spirals low, holding the handle of a blade in a reverse guard, and my gut falls as I saw the minute flexing of his fingers as they pulled against the handguard.

A black Dust blade slams against Milo's edge, the tip of the newly-formed weapon nary an inch away from my heel as Hachiman steps closer to try and unbalance me. A punch gets blocked by Milo's pommel, but the grinding of metal makes me grit my teeth in frustration as I recall Akouo back to gain some space. It looks like Milo wasn't shifting into anything else soon.

In any case, Hachiman was forced to withdraw, Akouo narrowly clipping his shoulder as he takes a few paces back and eyes me with a wary look. My shield returns back to my off-hand, and I let out a short breath of both relief and satisfaction by the fact that I was able to stall him for a minute. But it wasn't enough.

"Why?" I asked, finding myself staring into a bitter smile while my own eyes narrow into slits. "You had every option on your fingertips. Why resort to all of this? Is revenge not good enough for you? Arthur Watts is dead. Jaune and I are safe. Torchwick and Neo are doing well for themselves. You can rest."

"There's never rest." He sullenly replied, readying his own Dust blade once more and holding it back, gripping it with unnatural ease along with the haunting glow of his silver and red eyes. "And do you really think that I have a place to return after all that I did?"

"Atlas-"

"-Heaped the blame on me, yes. But I allowed the attack on Vale to go on without notice. I am still guilty of not contacting the proper authorities when I had ample evidence by my fingertips." His eyes smouldered back into the color of ash, still keeping his focus on me. "I allowed you to die by Cinder Fall's hand due to my inaction. The attack on Vale and Beacon could be blamed onto me. I took my own cousin and half-sister hostage in order to escape from authorities. I spat on your family's generosity in regards to... to her death. Why do you think that I could still be saved?"

A rapier sailed through the air, batted away by a casual swing of Hachiman's Dust blade just as Jaune crashes his shield into our mentor's chest. Hachiman flied back for a few feet as Jaune picks up Schnellenteich from the loose ground and gets rid of the dirt with a single swing. Once the dust settled, I was at Jaune's side with Milo and Akouo ready, showing him Milo's broken pommel, and he nods just as we turn our attention back towards our mentor, stepping out of the impromptu crater with a dispassionate expression on his face.

He flicked off a few crumbs of dirt off his clothing, drawing his gun from his left leg and keeping it low to the ground. His Dust blade crackled in his right, black edge just as sharp as it had been before, and sixteen swords shimmered into existence around him, guardless blades of Ash formed from the depths of his soul acting as sentinels to keep him safe.

I shared a look with Jaune. We knew what needed to be done.

"Final lesson." Hachiman's voice echoed throughout the pock-marked bluff, voice as soft-spoken yet as crisp as the first time that we had met him, up on that stage on Beacon oh so many months ago. "A good teacher never shows his students everything that he has. Remember that when you're teaching your own classes of brats."

"Sounds like you're saying goodbye." Jaune snorts, eyes focused on the swords orbiting our former mentor. "Can't help but assume that you don't want us anymore."

"No it isn't. You're the best idiots that I could've trained. Must be the reason as to why you're willing to fight me over this." Hachiman closed his eyes and released a shuddering breath. When he opened them, they were as cool as ice once more. "So I'll say this once and only once: Let. Me. Die."

"You saved us countless times, Professor." I replied back, a ghost of a smile on my lips. "I think it's about time that we did the same."

"So be it, then."

The two of charged at our former mentor, who in turn arranged his cloak of blades in a phalanx. There was no preamble, and definitely no panache. Only the teachings of our former mentor to guide us towards the path to victory.

[Aftermath]

A thrust is turned by a flawless parry, only managing to avoid the swift follow-up by slamming Akouo into the blade of Aura that attempted to cut Jaune down. He moved, sweeping low with his shield and rearing back for another strike with his rapier, but our mentor had already fallen back and slammed his swords into the ground in front of him, all but making an impenetrable blockade.

I surged forward, Akouo up to block my chest, and two blades of Aura surged forth from the impromptu Barricade to intercept. One clanged against my shield, the force of the blow stopping me in my tracks, and the other sword whizzed to the side of my head and buried an inch deep inside Jaune's own shield. I threw Milo towards our former mentor, the force blasting off a few loose pieces of dirt, and a blade of Aura parried to the side just as the rest of the blockade disappeared and our former mentor raised his gun.

Jaune tanked the blow, his Semblance flaring and boosting his Aura so that the projectile stopped cold an inch before his face. I called Milo back point-first, only for Hachiman to twist to the side and avoid the blow, an errant twitch of his finger making me aware of the blade aimed at my back. A quick shift in my Semblance lead the two blades clashing together in a stalemate, and Jaune roared on ahead with a measured thrust of Schnellenteich, air twisting around the tip as our former mentor ducked and aimed his Dust blade to cut through the inside of Jaune's thigh. Akouo prevented the strike, forcing Hachiman to roll sideways and put up another barricade of swords to block Akouo from reaching his defenses.

Once more, stalemate. It should've been a proud moment for the both of us that we were stalling Hachiman with our honed skills, but it wasn't our objective. Or at the very least, it wasn't my objective. I wanted to save him, to prevent him from taking his own life. But how to do it when your opponent is prepared to pull out all the stops in order to stop you? I can't find a way. At the very least, not in the way that I would've liked.

My mind reaches out, both to my memories and to any nearby bits of metal that I can control with my Semblance, and allowed myself to dig in deep. Somewhere, I can hear Jaune screaming at me to move while he was beset by blades on all sides, slowly digging into his own Aura bit-by-bit even with his Semblance. But I needed a way to turn the tide. To make sure that he would eschew all thoughts of whatever he was trying to accomplish without so much as batting an eye.

Back to the months of lacking sleep, back to the days of sifting through every bit of secondhand information to gain a little bit more knowledge of the fledgling criminal empire that Torchwick built up with Hachiman's help. Back to the times wherein I fervently tried to defend his honor, that for all of his actions, there was some kind of reason that I wasn't able to see. Back to the time where I was all but dead on two feet, an arrow lodged in my heel and another aimed at my heart, only for my savior to come with the force of a miracle and exact revenge upon whoever had wronged me. Back to the time where... Where...

"Pyrrha, whatever you're doing, make it work!" Jaune gritted out, down onto one knee as I gazed in surprise at the dome of white Aura around the two of us. I snapped out of it an instant later however, no less due to the pinprick of gray trying to make their way inside the dome, and I release a shuddering breath as I began taking a single step outside the dome.

Jaune's hand immediately grabbed my shoulder. "Pyr, what the hell are you doing?"

"The only thing that Hachiman would never do." I answered in turn, breaking Jaune's grip before he can even move from his spot and stepping outside of the dkme made out of his Aura. In an instant, the gray blades surrounding the dome shifted their attention towards me and surged forward, wisps of gray light trailing behind them as they sped off towards my vital areas. This time however, I didn't move. Despite the fact that muscle memory tried to reestablish its hold, to try and minimize the damage that I would take I did nothing. I could barely even hear Jaune's scream even as I felt pinpricks all over my body.

I wasn't a bleeding mess on the ground. It was all that I ever needed to know. "Pyr-!"

Once more, I began moving towards Hachiman with a slow gait, and his eyes narrow even further as the blades around him dissipate, aiming his gun towards my head. From what I had heard about it, Hachiman could temporarily someone's wound from regenerating by infusing his Aura into the bullet, thus forcing his opponent's Aura to slowly degrade the bullet before the wound could heal, greatly increasing his maiming potential and his ability to counter other Hunters. All he would need is one shot... and at this distance, I can't exactly move or be perceptive enough to see the bullet as it flies out of the barrel. The moment that Hachiman cocks the hammer of his gun, I take another step forward.

My right ear rings, my balance faltering for an instant as the blast of the shockwave was enough to temporarily incapacitate my sense of balance. I soldiered on however, taking two more steps even as Hachiman's eyes flashed from gray to an unsettling silver, his body all but flickering forward as he swung his Dust blade toqards my neck.

All instincts screamed for my body to move. Once more, I ignored Jaune's screams and placed it towards the back of my mind, letting the strike pass through without so much as twitching an errant muscle...

... I could feel a thin trickle of blood trailing down the side of my neck. But other than that, I felt fine.

Silver eyes scrambled back into their usual gray, widening ever-so slightly at the sight of my smile, and the Dust blade by my throat dissipates as Hachiman collapses forward. I catch him, stumbling backward at his weight, but held him close nonetheless, keeping my grip tight as I glance back towards Jaune and saw him scampering towards the two of us. "I... I... I just..."

"It's fine. It's alright." I reply, closing my eyes as I felt a warm stain spreading along my shoulder. It wasn't blood. "Let it out. We're here with you."

"I don't deserve Tyre." He whispered under his breath, hitching once as his sobs soon filled the quiet afternoon air. "I don't deserve you. Deserve Jaune. Deserve Qrow. Deserve... all of this."

"You do." I snap back, blinking at what I said before changing the tone of my voice. "Tell us what's wrong, and we can try to fix it. We'll make it so that you can look back on this with a smile on your face and say that you deserve this. That for all of the things that you've done, that for all of the things that has happened, you can still move forward... just like the rest of us."

"I can't come back home." Hachiman gritted out, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh as I hugged him closer.

"Hachiman, you're already with us. What else could you want?" I asked, and Hachiman freezes up as he brings a hand to the top of my head. A thin smile forms on my face as he begins ruffling my hair. He pulls back, staring at me with a slight smile on his face before morphing back into his previous neutral expression.

"Pyrrha... I tried to kill you."

"And I know that you'd never do such a thing. Not after what happened the last time." I replied back, already glancing behind him to see Jaune rearing up a blow. "And you know that we're going to get you for that anyway."

Jaune knocked him out with one punch. I couldn't help but blink at the sight, even as Jaune's Semblance powered down and he had to shake off a hand while wincing at the pain. That... was a thing. Looking at Hachiman now and the destruction that our 'fight' caused, it was hard to actually see him as having almost no Aura. And for everything to be decided with just a simple tap on the head is just... anticlimactic. Especially for someone as prepared as Hachiman normally was.

My gaze turns towards Jaune, who in turn gave me a sheepish smile in return. I can tell that catharsis was coursing through his veins.

"Sorry."

He didn't sound too sorry about it. I could only sigh and motion towards our former mentor's unconscious body with a vague expression of annoyance.

"Let's get him back."

AN: Done. I don't need to tell you what happens next, but do refer to last part of Chapter 4 to see the results. Or at the very least, tentative ones. This might feel like a cop-out (and I have the feeling that most of you would agree), and I... agree. But that's kind of the point. This shows the aftermath of Hachiman's actions that were mostly skipped over in Ch. 4, showing the effects that he has on people given that he usually has a more self-centered mindset. Let me know if I missed out on anything important. Weird... I should be having so much more written here, but I forgot what to put. Oh well.