Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
I'm also exceedingly rarely chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.
Here's the link:
Disc: HrPrTeam
KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN KOKUSEN!
-Story Start-
With the funeral coming to an end, the crowd of Faunus and 1st-year Beacon students began to head out of the venue, as the melancholy as well as fury seemed to slowly dissipate with the dwindling populace.
Nevertheless, a good portion of the Faunus remained, congregating particularly towards Weiss and Blake's parents, who were having a short conversation that Alex wasn't keen on isolating amid the racket around him.
Even so, it seemed like he was going to intrude on it, as he adhered to his sheep instincts and followed the herd, or more specifically, his teammates toward Weiss, pushing through the crowd.
...Actually, he was being pushed forward by Ruby.
Alex's legs automatically landed forward with each shove, "I can walk on my own." He said so, but he still went with it.
Ruby hummed, "This seemed more effective to split the sea of people; this was the best course of action!"
Alex's head turned to regard the most reasonable of his teammates with an eyebrow as she followed his lead.
She averted her gaze, signaling true betrayal. "I... can't deny its effectiveness."
Indeed it was, as if he was some sort of monstrosity, celebrity, hero, or all three with the glow of Excalibur announcing his identity, the closer it got, the more the crowd parted for the assembled party of JRNY & RAWP, eventually Yang joined them as well with Ruby detaching from Alex as he just kept walking forward leading the 'charge'.
"Your speech was amazing, you did great, Yang!" Ruby hugged her sister tightly as they walked side by side, attached by the hip.
"Yeah, thanks," Yang murmured with a small smile, yet her gaze lingered on a singular figure in front of her.
'...She's looking straight at me, isn't she?' Alex could literally feel her looking straight at him.
[Yes.]
Yang sounded, amid the racket and footsteps, her voice a pitch louder unnecessarily to allow Alex to hear her. "Hey, Alex... you mind if we talk after this?"
"I do."
"..."
Alex felt a kick land on his leg, prompting him to turn his head to see his partner glaring harshly at him, her head almost nudging at him to behave.
He huffed and shrugged helplessly before meeting Yang's almost pleading look calmly. "As long as you don't ask any favors. Sure."
She nodded lightly, gracing him with a small smile.
As that little melodrama went on, Nora preyed upon the tall redhead. "Pyr Pyr is once more engrossed in the novelty of being ignored~! So cute~!" Nora teased, pulling at the taller girl's cheeks.
"Are you really that popular, Pyrrha? I mean... appearing on an advertisement for cereal is pretty cool-"
"...Itsh' terribly unhealthshy." She felt obligated to mention with impaired speech as Nora indulged in pinching her face.
"Bad Nora, let the Pyrrha go." Ren casually swatted his girlfriend-but-not-in-a-romantic-way's hand.
"Yeowch! Meanie!" She hissed, glaring at the assailant, and without much more said, they found themselves before Weiss.
Well, it seemed like the conversation was already over, as Ghira and his wife Kali, shook Weiss's hand with the sudden, distant flashing of cameras not being so subtle.
"Once again, thank you for your gesture. It means a lot coming from you." Ghira's words were both genuine and powerful, his eyes and hold on Weiss's hand firm.
Her lips lifted to form a tiny smile, "The honor was all mine. It was the least I could do."
Kali's eyes surveyed the surroundings, noticing the assembled party that had pushed through the crowd, "Dear, let's not delay her any longer from her friends." She gestured at them.
Ghira nodded, his head turning towards the party as he and Weiss released their handshake, recognition crossed his features at each member of the party - except Jaune.
His voice was loud, as he practically announced. "Indeed, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Alex Andrite."
The air was growing electric. "These Heroic Beacon first-years have risked their lives trying to rescue my daughter against the scum that had infested our once proud movement."
Alex asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are we really doing this in a cemetery?"
Ghira heard nothing, as the racket drowned out Alex's calm voice. His palm gestured towards them, "Now and forever, they are allies to the TRUE White Fang!"
"ALLIES! ALLIES! PRAISE OUR ALLIES!"
The sounds of cameras clicking rapidly only made this situation even more of a spectacle than Alex suspected.
His amber eyes surveyed his surroundings and the fervor in the air, then, turning to his own teammates seeing a slight similar air to them, vindication in their eyes.
For a moment, he considered, if he were to feel some sort of care for Blake, perhaps he'd be in a similar predicament; he couldn't truly blame them.
Nevertheless, this was less than savory.
'A means to an end, not a funeral.'
Well, another two individuals seemed to hold similar sentiments.
'John and Yang seem reluctant about this, too.' He casually noted, shaking his head to dismiss the thought.
Not that it matters.
Ghira roared out. "Now that we have honored our friends... dismissed!" Like loyal, fervorous footsoliders, it was almost uncanny how, minus some of the reporters, the Faunus just... turned and walked away.
Leaving but them, and the nosy reporters, journalists, whatever.
[Is this... the elusive Charisma you cannot be ingrained with?!]
Ignoring the vermin's useless prattle, Alex's head turned to the suddenly approaching Ghira, specifically that he was heading straight towards him.
Perhaps Alex was just in the way, given he was at the front, maybe he wanted to walk past him and-
Not.
"Alex Andrite! I believe we have yet to exchange pleasantries." His voice was firm, harsh yet undeniably friendly.
Suddenly, he was assaulted with a large hand that could fit his entire head in before him, eagerly awaiting a handshake.
His eyes lowered, contemplating it for a moment before shaking it with a firm grip.
Ghira's tone radiated respect. "I see your strength is as rumored. It's like trying to crush a plate of metal." Although Alex hadn't really noticed it, Ghira squeezed as hard as he could.
Shaking his head before Alex could reply, "I won't bother you too much. I hope to be on good terms with a man of your caliber and to personally give you my thanks for trying to save my daughter."
'...He's pretty chill.' With that, Alex immediately formed a positive opinion.
Perhaps he's gotten used to being stupidly called-out for failing when it was that vermin's fault... a sensible man, at least in Alex's mind, was a blessing.
"Same here, nice to meet you." He nodded and met the man's gaze head-on.
Though Alex couldn't help but shelve his positive opinion momentarily at the public spectacle this man did at the expense of his own daughter's funeral.
'There was a time and place for these things... I guess.'
Momentarily, he turned his head to be met with the uneasy Yang and tight-lipped Jaune.
Perhaps they agreed with Alex - they understood that it was not their place to lecture the man; this was his daughter.
Then again, their troubles seemed to run a bit deeper.
Jaune's eyes felt almost vindicated, honest.
Whilst Yang's were distraught, troubled.
And his eyes...?
It was a casual thought, a minor curiosity easily suppressed.
He never cared about how others thought of him.
Even so, for a moment, he wondered how his eyes appeared to the outside observer.
[Disgustingly indifferent.]
He felt that wasn't quite accurate; he couldn't deny a slight bad taste in his mouth, purely out of principle - not just because he hated funerals.
But his own values took precedence.
His free hand subconsciously grasped the hilt of Excalibur, much to the slight eyebrow raise of Ghira.
"A most beautiful semblance." Kali honestly praised from the side, her eyes lacking any fear at the sudden grasp of the weapon, "Semblance is the reflection of your soul. You have a bright future, young man-"
His opinion of them was rising by the minute; however, it seemed he was right about something:
Jaune stepped forward, interrupting Kali's praises of Excalibur. "Mister Belladonna, sir, sorry to interrupt, but - can I ask something?"
Ghira grunted, his gaze slightly less soft as he met Jaune's resolute gaze with a certain coldness.
'The replacement of his daughter... he probably doesn't hold a high opinion of him.' Alex hazarded a guess as he stepped aside and easily peeled off Ghira's handshake, fixing his gaze on the two men before him.
Jaune didn't seem to care.
"I don't want to sound accusatory. But this funeral... it turned into a spectacle, aren't we supposed to honor Blake's death? Why are reporters allowed to enter? Why the... rallying speech...?"
His hands balled into fists, "Couldn't it have been done... like... at any other time?"
Whether Jaune intended it or not, the atmosphere tightened up. The air around them grew uncomfortable, and everyone present grew genuinely uneasy.
Ghira stepped forward, his expression twisting into a visible snarl. "You dare question me on my grief? My own daughter?!" He accused, reading between the lines, or so it seemed.
He got dangerously close to Jaune, who stood firm, though with a visible nervous bead trickling down his face.
Everyone in the assembled party was hesitant, their body-language and stances screaming ready to jump in and save Jaune at any moment.
Yet Alex stood the closest, his amber orbs not moving from the two men, his gaze like that of a hawk.
Jaune immediately defended himself with raised arms, "That's not!-" He shook his head, stating slowly. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking why this couldn't have been a private funer-"
His words were cut short, as before everyone's eyes, Ghira's snarl grew, and his hand shot toward Jaune's shirt, grabbing it tightly and lifting the boy. "Mind your own business, boy. Who even are you to my daughter?!"
"Dear! Calm down!" Kali roared out, rushing to placate her husband, whilst Jaune met the furious father with a mixture of defiance and worry.
'Like daughter, like father with that temper.' Alex curtly noted.
[Shouldn't you help him?]
'Issue a quest then. He dug the ditch; he can climb out of it on his own. But if he extends a hand, I'll pull him out.' He made his stance clear as he casually observed the situation.
Well, it didn't matter in any case, as his teammates and the others stood between the angry father and Jaune in an instant, with Yang holding tightly onto the man's wrist with a genuinely pleading warning. "Let go. Please."
The observant few from the sideline started making a racket, as a few people of interest began to rush to intervene.
Ghira, nevertheless, turned to see Yang's pleading gaze and then slightly turned his head at both his wife and the approaching authority with a click of his tongue.
He let go, glaring at Jaune as he pulled back. "Know your place, kid, and get a grasp of politics before you question me on my actions." He spat out, "This was the best way to honor and avenge my daughter, you hear me?!"
Jaune appeared relieved, yet clearly unconvinced. "...Crystal, sir." He reluctantly agreed.
"Ghira..." Kali warned.
Ghira's eye twitched for a moment as he exhaled a grand, restrained breath. "Thank you for coming. I've got better things to deal with than petty accusations."
Thus, he immediately turned away and walked towards the exit, leaving the group in a tense stupor that visibly relaxed at his departure.
Yang huffed in slight frustration, "What were you thinking, Jaune?!"
"...That almost got ugly." He acknowledged with visibly slumped shoulders.
She hissed, though with a softer tone, almost lecturing. "Time and place! Time and place!" She repeated.
He huffed, with folded arms. "The same could be said to him! I'd be damned if I had a daughter and-"
Weiss frowned and chastised. "Well, it's not exactly your place to judge him, is it? I admit the distasteful nature of it, but it worked pretty well. If I were in Blake's shoes, I'd be more than satisfied with this. Whatever further serves the goal to wipe out those animals that had taken my life."
Jaune was firm. "That... just leads to more violence and deaths, Weiss-"
"You do realize that they are terrorists who cause untold numbers of murders and economic damage? Much less spreading negative emotion leading to more Grimm attacks, you dolt-"
"Okay, guys! Let's agree to disagree! Off we go!" Ruby clapped her hands with incredible force, trying to dismantle the argument as she pointed towards the exit, leading the way.
Seeing the cue, both Pyrrha and Alex followed suit, and the rest followed.
It had grown uncomfortably quiet, but Nora interrupted with good cheer, trying to shoo away the bad mojo. "On a more positive note, your singing was amazing, Weissy!"
Unsurprisingly, singing Weiss's praises worked like magic. "Of course, I am well known across Atlas for my artistic expertise."
"Except tooting your own horn, it was pretty good," Alex admitted with a nod.
"Yeah! Next, you'll tell me you're good at the piano as well, heh." Yang snickered.
"The violin." Weiss corrected.
"Of course." Yang rolled her eyes.
Ren inquired curiously, and quite perceptively, "Speaking of which, Weiss. Will you not have trouble with your family? This was akin to you pledging support to this new White Fang Faction."
He then turned to her three teammates, who seemed unsurprised. "And seeing their lack of surprise. I'm guessing this was intentional?"
"Not quite as dramatic or impactful, Ren. But correct, it was a fine case of killing two birds with one stone."
"And... you don't mind the trouble?"
"Father can do nothing about it." Weiss smugly retorted.
Nora cheered with a raised fist. "Yeah! And if he dares hurt Weissy! We'll sic Alex on him!"
"Weiss is a big girl; she can sic herself on him." He replied to his name.
"But what if she can't do it alone?! An army of mercenary Huntsmen sent after her?!"
"That just sounds plain stupid." He had made the mistake and was engaging with Nora's nonsense.
"But what IF?!"
"Then I'll help." He shrugged, replying easily enough.
"As reassuring as that is, I won't be requiring any assistance with my family. Winter is all I need, worst comes to worst."
Pyrrha's head lowered momentarily as she voiced out her thoughts. "On second thought, maybe this will be beneficial for your family? If this implosion succeeds and the image of the Schnee's improves...?"
"All these politics are making my stomach stir," Jaune complained audibly.
"Same here, mate." Alex wasn't a big fan either.
Weiss blinked. "To be perfectly transparent, I did not put much thought into it."
For a moment, all of them ceased their steps and levelled an incredulous look at Weiss.
"What? I'm not perfect." She shrugged indifferently, unashamed.
At that, for some odd reason, all gazes turned onto Alex.
"Something on my face?"
""You're a bad influence.""
Before Alex could give his usual curt reply, his lips paused at the sudden approach of Ozpin. "I'm pleased to see you kids are in a jovial mood."
"One can't be perpetually sad, you know!" Ruby nodded firmly.
"Indeed, well, as you know, you cannot linger long outside of Beacon, so I'd suggest you head on quickly to the bullhead back."
"Freedom... but at what cost?" Ruby grumbled lightly, but nodded in agreement as she pushed past Ozpin, not before pausing at his call-out.
"I'll be grabbing Miss Schnee and Mister Andrite for a moment. Continue on."
...
Alex's eyes wandered instinctually towards Weiss in that moment, and she had done much the same.
Their minds seemed to form the same conclusion.
And his stoic expression was met with an irritatingly smug face.
Before she could open her mouth, he immediately countered. "Yeah, yeah, you were right. Not exactly, but I'll give it to you."
For a moment, she sighed haughtily, her tone resigned. "Difficult to experience joy when you are around, Alex."
"Harsh."
Ozpin chuckled good-naturedly. "As heart-warming as your inter-team banter is, I'm afraid we need to delve into a slightly more serious topic."
At Ozpin's words, Weiss straightened up immediately, "Miss Schnee, I'd like to hear from you about that therapist you'd like to recommend. Mister Andrite's presence here is to ascertain, in tandem with my opinion, whether the therapist is adequate for his needs."
She nodded, "Certainly. I'd like to recommend Dr. Indigo Vale as Alex's therapist."
That name hadn't rung any bells, though Alex never paid attention to any famous therapists in Vale if there were any.
"Ah, Doctor Indigo? Even I would have trouble setting up with him on short notice."
"My therapist is a close friend of his. He's promised to assist me in setting an appointment... I have done so a couple of times, but I'm afraid I'll need your help this time since someone has been missing all the appointments." She side-eyed Alex whilst she spoke to the Headmaster.
"Sorry."
She snorted, "Do you even realize how much it costs to even have an hour of his time?"
"My bad."
Ozpin turned to Alex. "He is a renowned therapist. Any questions you'd like to ask both of us before we set up a meeting? Any doubts you'd like cleared?"
Alex held no protests. "It doesn't matter, as long as he can cure me."
Smiling sadly, Ozpin nodded, turning to Weiss. "Could you set up a meeting for me with him to iron out the details, Miss Schnee?"
She paused for a moment, mumbling, "Details...?" Nodding immediately after, smiling reassuringly. "Of course, I'll deal with it flawlessly, Headmaster."
"Fantastic. Now off you go, you two. I still have business to attend to in Vale, you'd best not miss the last Bullhead."
"Okay!"
"Okay."
Thus, he left the two of them, as they quietly walked side by side towards the assembly of bullheads heading back to Beacon.
"...So what made you change your mind? Voices got annoying?" A smug expression found itself plastered on Weiss's face.
"I'll tell you later with everyone present, don't feel like recounting it a couple of times."
"I'll be eagerly anticipating it~" She sing-songed, in an incredible mood.
Despite being a mostly melancholic morning, with the funeral and all, she was ecstatic.
"You sure are chipper, Weiss. Well... It's not that exciting of a story anyway." Alex's face tightened slightly as he said so, causing a shift in Weiss's expression.
Something about his tone didn't quite sit right with her, her eyes darted to lightly regard his figure - his twitching hand, nestled on Excalibur's hilt...
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Anyone looking for that Yang conversation, well, it's been postponed. This is a really dense scene with everything going on, and much of what I had to either postpone or keep as per logic.
But with the next chapter, we'll be jumping forward in a lot of things.
A lotta things.
We'll be soon at the Vytal Festival with all the slice of lifeish school things to come, so look forward to that, though I won't linger on it too much, there's only a few threads I have to loosen or tighten up with those.
Teenagers, you know what I mean? Smh.
Anywho love ya, hope you enjoyed and bu bye!
Next chapter in 48-72 hours (I'm kinda busy rn)
See you then!