The Burning Rose

Chapter 26: Heartfelt end

"Aahh!" Adam woke up with a start. Immediately he shot up, looking around wildly for his opponent. But as his eyes adjusted to the sudden amount of light flowing into them, he saw he wasn't in the smuggler passage anymore. Instead, he was sitting on a small, smelly walkway. Below him, a stream of human waste flowed past. He was high enough that it didn't touch him, but the brothers did it stink.

"Finally awake? About time." Adam looked up to see Eric, sitting a little ways away. His armor was off and he had his hand pressed over his stomach which was stained with blood.

Alarmed, Adam jumped to his feet. They were in a sewer and if Eric was injured, they couldn't treat it here.

"Don't worry." He said, answering his unasked question. "I've already treated it. It wasn't infected. You're just lucky I had enough aura leftover to treat you."

Treat him? What was he talking about? Had he been inj-!

Then Adam remembered the fight, the pain, the very feeling of his own heart stopping several times before he had lost consciousness. His hand slammed against his chest, checking on his now rapidly beating heart.

He stood there for a few minutes, taking in his heart beats. It was so strange he had taken it for granted for so long. But now he relished each and every pound of the glorious muscle. It was still there, and still going strong.

As he claimed himself down, he noticed his arm was horribly burned. It had healed in places, but the point of infection (he didn't know what else to call it.) was still raw with a large third degree burn in the shape of a hand, but it didn't look like the type of burn for fire or a brand. No. It resembled a chemical burn above anything.

What the hell was that semblance?!

"What happened?!" Adam asked Eric. "Where are we?! What happened to the other huntsman?! And when you treated me, did you figure out what happened to me?!" He stopped when Eric raised his hand. He wanted more answers, but he saw how exhausted Eric was, so he decided not to push him too far.

"We're somewhere in the main sewer. Not sure where. Igor is down here somewhere too. Fortunately, I think Qrow retreated to high ground, so hopefully that's the main threat gone." Eric answered. "As for what happened to you, I have no idea. When I finished running, that purple energy had disappeared. Maybe there's a range? Or he has to concentrate to keep it up, I don't know, but it's disappearance allowed me to treat you with my semblance."

Adam raised his eyebrow. Eric 's semblance could heal? He didn't know that.

Wait. If he could heal with his semblance, why was Eric still so beat up? What had happened?

Adam's gaze flicked to his stomach and saw the wound in question. And it was far from healed.

It had been poorly stitched up, without any bandages. The damage had clearly been too much for his aura to heal. Meaning his was either out or close too.

He looked back down at himself. His life threatening injuries had healed and even some of his lesser ones as well. How much power had Eric used on him to keep him alive? Clearly so much that it left him without enough to take care of himself.

Guilt welled up in his stomach and he clenched his fist to stop it from shaking. He had been stupid! Why had he charged a licensed huntsman without a plan?! What was he trying to prove?! That he was stronger than any human, no matter who they were? Had he really put his own pride before anything else?!

Yes, he had. And now Eric had paid the price.

"Why?" Adam almost whispered. Those, he was more asking to try an elevate his guilt. "Why did you save me? Why put yourself at risk for someone you've know for two days? What would you possibly stand to gain from it?"

Eric stared at Adam for a few seconds, then turned away, looking up a pipe dumping waste into the main flow.

"I didn't do it for you." Eric finally replied after a few minutes. "Let's be very clear, I don't like you, at all. You're arrogant, stubborn, and tunnel visioned. All qualities I find very annoying." Adam's gaze turned to the ground as he bit his lip and said nothing. He could finally see what the knight was talking about.

"But, like it or not, you're my comrade. And too many comrades have already died on my watch. I won't let another." Adam turned, curious about what Eric was talking about. They were the same age. How had he seen so much death?

"After the war, we Atlesians nobles began looking after one another. That included me as well. After the incident where my father died, I began work as an intern of sorts under a noble who was helping other nobles flee from Ironwood's rule. Many feared their fate under him and thought it would be better to run while they could. Leaving everything, their titles and riches, behind." Adam felt his mouth go slack. He had never once given an ounce of thought to the noble and royalty of Atlas after they lost. Those who sided with Ironwood would keep their titles, but as many chose to stand by their king, the vast majority would be forced into exile.

"Many noble children took up arms to survive. As a result, we had several kids running around with weapons. And needless to say, that didn't always go over well on missions." Slowly, Eric's hand tightened into a fist as he began shaking. "I watched so many die. Some unavoidable, but most because of stupidity. Both their own and because of others. And on the day we had to stand by helplessly as a mother and her year old baby were torn to pieces, I swore there and then, nobody else was dying on my watch. Ever!"

Finally, Eric turned to look at Adam, his face full with sorrow and grief. The look of a young boy who had to endure much more than his age should dictate. A look Adam had seen all too often, both in others and the boy in the mirror he saw everyday. A look Adam had grown so accustomed to seeing, he had somehow turned blind to it.

"Look, I know you think that all Faunus are the good guys and all humans are the bad guys, but if you look at it from a different angle, you'll see that at the end of the day, there's only one monster in the world. And it's not human or Faunus or even the Grimm. It's a monster called war. And it consumes everything in its path."

A long silence followed Eric's speech. Adam stood unmoving, unable to look the boy in the eye. Instead looking at the sewer flowing past him.

His words cut Adam much deeper than they should. Each one seemed to force his eyes open more and more. Showing him just how short sighted he had been. All his rage and anger at humanity had blinded him to their suffering. And while many still held hate for Faunus, not all of them were as bad as he had originally believed. Humans were capable of being good, Eric had more than proven that.

"Eric, I'm sorry." Adam finally said. It felt hollow as he knew there was no way to take back what he had done and how he had behaved. Yet he had no idea how to even begin to make things right. What could he even do to the knight to even have the right to ask for forgiveness? It almost felt impossible. "I…Eric…I didn't know what to say to be-."

"So here's where you've crawled off too. I was beginning to think you'd given me the slip. Happy to see I was wrong."

Immediately both of them turned to see Igor walking towards them. His sickle dragging across the ground. Eric quickly grabbed his armor and tried to jump to his feet, but froze mid way before slumping against the wall and sliding down, a thin trickle of blood leaking from his stomach.

Adam bit his lip as he watched the knight struggle to put his armor on while sitting. Even if he could, he couldn't move. He was basically a sitting duck, Adam would be surprised if he could lift his shield in his current condition.

And who's fault was it he was in that state?

Clenching his fist, Adam turned and stepped in front of Eric, surprising him.

"Rest there, okay? I'll deal with this guy, you focus on yourself." Adam said as he crouched down, hand gripping the hilt of his blade. Behind him, Eric's eyes went as wide as a plate.

"Are you crazy?!" He snapped. "That guy took you out in a few moves! And that was when you had aura! You can't take him alone! We have to run! If we're lucky we can-! Cough! Cough!" Eric groaned and clutched his stomach as his protests sent pain running through his entire body.

"You can't run. You can barely stand." Adam replied, glancing over his shoulder at the injured knight. "If we run now, we'll be caught. I'm sorry I put us in this situation, but I promise to get us out. This isn't about my ego or race anymore, I promise. So please, let me handle this."

Eric stared at Adam's backside for a few seconds, then turned away to glare at the floor.

"Fine." Eric said in defeat. "But don't die. I went through a lot of trouble to bring you back to life."

Adam smiled as he turned back to his opponent. "You got it." He said quietly.

"Aww, how touching." Igor said sarcastically. "Are you two going to kiss next? Let me know when I can be violent. I'm itching for a fight."

Adam remained stagnant, refusing to be shaken by the huntsman's words. He couldn't make the same mistake he had before. Charging in without a plan against such a skilled opponent was never going to work. He needed a different plan.

The unfortunate part was that despite their earlier fight, he was still mostly in the dark about Igor's style. The man was fast and liked to entangle his opponents, but besides that, Adam knew nothing. He didn't even know what his semblance did. All he did know was that it required contact to work and would take him out in an instant. So he had to be careful.

Adam bit his lip. He knew he didn't stand a chance right now. Not with himself exhausted and Eric practically down for the count. But maybe, he could create an opening, then use some raw dust to blast the man away and stun him long enough to escape.

It was a long shot and definitely not the glorious night he wanted, but it was his only hope.

Suddenly, Adam was forced to duck as the weighted end of the weapon swung at his head, ripping apart the wall as it went.

Adam's eyes widened in shock. It hadn't been this long last time, had it?!

"Hahahahaha!" Igor laughed. "Run, scream, cry! Beg for your life, you worthless animal! I can't wait to bathe in your blood! It will be a treat for the ages! So hurry up and die you stinky animal!" Immediately he began wiping the chain around the Faunus, forcing him to duck and dodge for his life.

Adam bit back his fury. The huntsman was trying to rile him up. Wanting him to get sloppy again. He couldn't fall for such an obvious trick! But that was a mod point as right now he could barely counter! The man was attacking so fast, he couldn't find an opening!

"Watch out!"

Eric's warning caused Adam to look up just in time to see the sickle of the blade coming towards him. Acting on instinct, he tried to parry the attack only for his blade to get tangled up in the chain.

Immediately Igor spun, pulling the weighted end back, then throwing out another sickle from his side, casting Adam's heart to stop as he realized what was going on.

He had two weapons, not one! That was how his chain seemed longer than before!

Immediately he tried to pull away, but Igor held him firmly in place as the blade came flying towards him. He was trapped! All he could do was watch in horror as the blade came closer and closer to his neck.

Behind him, Eric had somehow managed to put on his armor and was running to help him, but he wouldn't make it in time. As the blade approached him, all Adam could think about was the faces of his friends in the White Fang. Ghira, Sienna, Blake. He wished he could see them one more time. He could feel the blade getting closer, hear Eric's panicked running, see the insane grin on Igor's face. This was it. He took his last deep breath as the blade caught him in the throat.

And immediately was deflected by his aura.

"Tisk!" Igor let out a grunt of irritation as Adam's heart leapt into his throat. He still had aura left!? How!? Hadn't it been eaten through when he was hit with the huntsman's weird semblance?!

Taking a second, Adam reached into himself to check on his reserves and to his amazement, he found that whatever Igor's semblance was, it hadn't drained a drop of his aura.

Before he could ponder it any farther, Eric lunged in front of him, slamming his shield down forming a wall between them and Igor's second blade. Before either of them could do anything, the knight planted his feet and grabbed the chain still wrapped around Adam's blade.

"Get over here!" He bellowed as he wrenched the chain so hard, Igor was dragged off his feet and came flying towards them.

Seeing his opening, Adam leapt over Eric and landed a powerful kick to his stomach, knocking him backwards through the air.

But They still weren't done.

Adam yanked on his sword, bringing Igor to a complete stop before pulling him back in. In response, Eric grabbed his shield and spun, Smashing Igor against the metal plates.

Igor was sent flying back, dropping the weapon entangled with Adam's, freeing the Faunus. As for the huntsman, he slammed against the ground, rolling several feet back before slamming against the wall on the far side, his purple aura flickering.

"You okay?!" Eric asked, spinning around to face Adam. "I thought he got you for a second. How did you dodge?" Slowly, the Faunus reached up and ran his fingers across his neck, flashing his own aura.

"I don't know how, but I still have plenty of aura left." Adam replied. He looked over at Igor, who had gotten to his knees, a look of annoyance on his face, but no surprise. He must have been expecting this. Which meant…

"Whatever his semblance is, it doesn't seem to affect aura. I don't know how it got through, but my levels haven't dropped since our first fight." Adam said as he turned back to Eric. "That's a terrifying ability to bypass aura, but today it's a blessing. We just might be able to get out of this after all. I got a plan." He said with a grin.

"Well, let's hear it. Not sure how long the adrenaline will keep me on my feet." Eric said, leaning against the wall slightly. This clearly wasn't a joke.

"Alright, you have a chainsaw in your shield right?" Adam's question was answered with a nod. "Good. Now hit me with it!"

"Wha-!?"

"Just do it!" Adam cut in before Eric could press farther.

Hesitant, but deciding to trust him, Eric revved up his shield and slammed the spinning blades against Adam's sword. Sparks flew as steel hit steel. The deafening sound echoed through the sewer as the forces of the weapon charged Adam's semblance almost instantly.

After only a few seconds, Adam was beyond maximum capacity. No longer need to absorb anymore power, he let the force slide him back a few feet before coming to a stop.

Adam stood still for a few seconds as he relished the power he stored. This was amazing! So much energy all chomping at the bit, ready to get out. This was so much more power then he was used too, it almost felt unreal.

He let out a laugh as he slid his blade into his scabbard. With this much power, he felt invisible! That weedy huntsman didn't stand a chance against him anymore.

"Eric! Get out of the way!" He yelled and immediately the knight dove towards Adam, seeking shelter behind him.

Right on cue, Igor charged as well. He might not know what Adam's plan was, but he was going to stop it no matter what!

Adam felt his heart stop as he watched Igor gain on Eric. The injured knight couldn't move fast enough even with a hole in his stomach! Gritting his teeth, Adam ran forward, trying to get between the two.

Time seemed to slow for the three huntsmen, Igor had a gleeful smile across his face as he got closer to Eric much faster than Adam. It was over. His partner wasn't going to fire whatever he was planning without a clear area, so all he had to do was keep himself between them and the Faunus couldn't do a thing! They fought well, but it was game over now, he had won!

Suddenly, Eric came to a stop and slammed his shield onto the ground. There was a full click, then the tube for his RPG launcher shot out, slamming into the ground and propelling him into the air and towards Adam.

Igor's mouth fell open as he watched the knight fly, then his heart stopped as he realized what this meant.

"Oh no."

"Now!" Eric yelled, but Adam didn't need to be told. Planting his feet, Adam readied his semblance. Immediately the room seemed to darken as the red on his mask and hair began to glow. Then he drew his sword with a swing at the purple haired huntsman.

Immediately, all of the stored energy was released, completely engulfing the sewer. It ripped apart the wall, ceiling and floor as it raced towards Igor.

In response, the huntsman threw up his hand, both glowing purple with his aura. As the energy slammed into his palms, the red turned purple and began to rapidly dissipate as it spread across the whole attack, completely disintegrating the attack as it went.

But it wasn't fast enough.

"Gah!" Igor cried as the rest of the energy slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and carrying him backwards as it went.

"Impossible! I can't Erode it fast enough!" He thought as he was carried away by the attack. "Damn it aaallllll!"

Igor's last scream echoed through the room as he was blasted through wall after wall of the sewer. The power carried him away with no intention of stopping. And soon, he had been carried so far that they couldn't even hear him anymore.

"Do you think we killed him?" Eric asked as he approached Adam, standing next to him. "Not sure how he'd survive something like that. I kinda don't want the murder charge on top of everything else if we're caught."

"Don't worry." Adam assured him. "I couldn't keep all the power together. It was more like a punch then a slash. He might be out cold, but I don't think I killed him."

Eric turned to look at Adam once again, this time with a look of respect. "Adam, about early. I-."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. The next second, sewerage began pouring into the tunnel they were in from the hole in the ceiling, flooding the place.

"Oh come on!" Eric yelled in frustration. "Can't we catch a damn break!? This is getting ridiculous!"

"Don't panic!" Adam yelled back. "I'll use my semblance to blast a way out, just hit me so I can charge up!" Eric turned to him, face a mask of shock and bewilderment.

"Are you crazy!?" He bellowed. "If you just start blasting willy-nilly, you're going to destroy more pipes and make the situation even worse! We need to find a way out, not blast one! Otherwise we'll drown in literal shit! We need to- cough! Cough!"

Eric doubled over coughing, one hand pressed over his mouth, the other on his side where fresh blood was starting to leak from once again. Adam ran forward and helped Eric to stand. He wasn't going to leave him behind, not after everything he had put the knight through.

"I know the risks! But we don't have a choice. You can't out run the flow! Please, just trust me this once! I promise not to betray it again!" He pleaded with Eric, who gave him a tired look. "I know you don't have a reason to trust me, but please. Let me be the o e to help you. I promise to let you and Amber take charge after this. Hell, I'll never go out stealing again! Just please, trust me."

Eric gave him a hard look, then let out a sigh and turned away.

"Fine." He agreed. "Not like I'm in any condition to stop you. If we die here, might as well make a name for ourselves as the stupidest huntsman of our time." He turned and grinned at Adam. "Just remember, if we die, I'm making sure your grave has the worst poop pun imaginable. You won't be able to rest in peace because people will be snickering at it whenever they walk past."

Adam let out a chuckle as Eric stood on his own. "Sounds far." He said. "And I'll make sure yours says you were stupid enough to be loyal to an idiot who didn't deserve it. History can decide if your brave or just plan stupid."

As the two stood, both ready to play their parts, neither could keep themselves from smiling despite the situation. After all, who would have ever guessed an Altas noble and a Faunus would stand together, not as enemies, nor as commander or soldier, but as equals. Equal till the end.

A small park was sitting undisturbed in the heart of Vale. It was called Fairytales park. A monument built by the king of Vale many years ago. Many of the elders would consider it a crime to damage even a single part of it.

Which is why it was a good thing that none weren't when the area right blow the fountain exploded with a burst of red energy.

Eric and Adam threw themselves out of the hole and into the wooded park as the thing collapsed behind them. The thousands dollar fountain crashing into the murky sewer below with a deafening bang.

Adam was able to roll across the ground and land back on his feet. Eric less so, slamming face first into the ground leaving a clear indentation on the ground.

"Ow! Okay, never doing that again." He said as he slowly pulled himself up. "How's my nose? Not crooked, is it? I can't have anything happen to my charming good looks. They're my best feature."

Adam let out a snort. As much of a dork as Eric was, the man had proven himself loyal and selfless. To everyone, no matter what their species.

Adam closed his eyes. "That's right, he truly cares about people regardless of who they are or where they come from." He thought. "He put his money where his mouth was. Not many people out there like him.

"Hey, Eric?" Adam called to the knight, who was knocking dirt off his armor and applying pressure to his wound. "Thanks, for sticking it out with me. I wouldn't have survived that fight. So…yeah. Thanks."

Eric turned to Adam, then let out a sigh. "I wish I could say everything was forgiven after that…plan. But it's not that easy to just forgive and forget. I'm still mad at you for tonight and probably will stay mad for the foreseeable future."

Adam looked down at his feet. He understood Eric's anger. He had put both of their futures on the line and had both to show for it. The warehouse was gone, Eric's shield had been seen, and despite their escape, Qrow must have realized they weren't Enlightened Seraphim.

And how many redhead bull Faunus could be living in Vale?

They'd need a very good cover story. Or have Qrow assassinated before he gave their description to the police. And nobody, laterally nobody would mess with Qrow Branwen.

"Well, whatever. What's done is done. No point worrying about it." Eric said, once again catching Adam off guard. "Don't beat yourself up too much. I was the one to stick my big nose into your mess. I got nobody but myself to blame for landing in this situation. And at least this time, I wouldn't have someone chewing my head off for getting into trouble because I'm going to tell Amber that you threatened me at blade point to come along on this crazy adventure, so you'll get yelled at instead. Sounds like a fair trade for getting my beautiful hair drenched in sewer water, wouldn't you agree?"

Adam let out a chuckle as Eric lightly punched his shoulder. He was glad to have this idiot as his partner. Someone who was willing to stick it out with him during the rough times now and ahead. This was the first time in his life that he was grateful for a human to be standing beside him.

Suddenly, Adan saw several people walking towards them. They were dressed in light armor and had heavy weapons on their backs.

Huntsmen!

Immediately, he grabbed Eric and dragged him behind a tree, hand clamped tightly over the boy's mouth. Eric's eyes were wide with surprise, but immediately filled with understanding when he heard them talking.

"Do you really think someone who could rob a million dollars off the SDC would be stupid enough to hide in Fairy Tale Park?" One said. "It's in the center of town! Literally the highest priority area! Nobody's that stupid. Might as well just walk into the station arms in shackles."

"Stuff it, loser." A different one answered. "Remember, there are a lot of reports of homeless Faunus living here and after that big explosion, I think it's safe to say someone here who's not supposed to be. And besides, they were stupid enough to rob the SDC. I think that's more than enough proof that a few screw's loose. The only thing stupider was they took it from the Howard shipping's company. Everyone knows they have ties to the criminal underground. Given their lack of intelligence, I'm guessing that the explosion was our thieves."

Adam grinder his teeth, but said nothing. He slowly took his hand off Eric's mouth and beckoned him to follow. Then the two began carefully sneaking away.

"Why's Howard shipping even holding SDC products anyway?" The first one asked. "Though the old man didn't like those Atlas dogs, not that I blame him. Those stuck up brats should be grateful we didn't just pilfered their entire country and let them starve in the cold."

"Who knows, who cares." The second one replied. "All I know is that thanks to his funding, we'll catch them in no time. Cause our reinforcements just arrived!"

Suddenly the air was filled with lights as three airships descended from the sky, shining light all across the park. Immediately, both Adam and Eric dove behind a large rock, just dodging the spotlights.

"Shit!" Eric cursed under his breath as he pressed his back to the stone. "At this rate, they'll drive us out into the opening! Then catch us! We'll be expelled before we've even unpacked! Then we can kiss our chances of becoming huntsmen goodbye!"

Adam bit his lip. He knew Eric was right. After coming this far, were they going to fail so close to escape? Desperately, he scanned the area for a way out, but saw nothing. The ships covered every exit and huntsmen covered every part of the fence. Try as he might, Adam couldn't see anyway to escape!

Adam looked at Eric, his creased brow that still was cut open, his damaged armor that had a few cracks in it, and he was panting uneven breaths as he tried to stay calm. He had put some much on the line for Adam instead of dipping when he had the chance. Maybe, it was now Adam's turn to risk it all for a friend.

"I'll draw them away, you go then." He said, causing Eric to whip his head around to face Adam.

"Are you crazy?!" Eric whispered. "You'll never get away! You'd be expelled before they even got you to the station! You'd be throwing away your future!"

"It's fine." Adam reassured him, although Eric clearly didn't buy it. "I can't just say it was racist profiling. Bring a storm of navigate media down on them. That'll back off really fast after th-!

"No!" Eric snarled, cutting Adam off. "They have more than enough proof to condemn one of us to prison! If you get caught, then they'll lock you up and throw away the key! Surely you understand that you can't bring negative media attention to them if they actually caught the criminal!"

"It's either that or we both go down!" Adam shot back. "If one of us goes down, then the other doesn't have to! And between the two of us, I have the better chance of getting off scot free. Besides, I'm the reason you got into this mess, so I'll get you out. It's the least I can do. So just let me hel-!"

Bang!

A deafening explosion above them drew their attention. A column of smoke was billowing from one of the airship's propellers as flames danced on top of it. All around them, huntsmen began screaming and running out of the way as the ship began spinning in the area.

Stunned with pure disbelief, Adam and Eric watched, jaws hanging open as the ship spun down, crashing safely just outside the park's entrance. And as the crew started to spill out, Adam realized this was no coincidence.

Quickly some of the huntsmen ran to their comrades, helping them out of the wreckage. As he watched, Adam saw to his disbelief that almost nobody had been harmed. Whatever had just happened was clearly controlled and well planned. That was definitely no coincidence.

Before he could question him further, Adam felt a strange sensation in the back of his mind. Then, something appeared in the depths of his mind as someone forced it open.

Suddenly, he saw everything different. In front of him was Eric, staring at him in confusion, but from another part of his mind, a part he didn't even know he had, he was looking down on the park from the roof of a nearby building.

From his new vantage point, he could see all the huntsmen in the area as well as the police. More than a little shocked, Adam peered out from hiding to see the exact same scene as the vantage point above him. It was like a security camera in his head that told him everything he needed to know. With this, he could lead Eric out of the park without being noticed!

But that wasn't all he could see.

From inside one of the nearby buildings, he was aiming a black bow out the window. He was hanging a little ways back so he couldn't be seen by the police below him, (something he knew because of the other line of sight.) but with practiced precision which he was certain he didn't have, he fired an arrow into one of the airships.

It lodged itself into the base propeller, then emitted a red glow before exploding with a burst of hot flames igniting it.

Adam watched the people below scrambling once again as they tried to get out of the way as the second airship was forced into a crash landing. As they went, Adam saw an opening in their barricade.

Realizing this was their only chance, Adam leapt to his feet and beckoned for Eric to follow before taking off towards the hole in the police's defenses. Eric was confused, even trying to ask him what was going on, but when Adam got to another hiding spot without being detected, he followed nonetheless. Making good and surprising quietly despite his armor.

As they went, Adam saw his bow vision turn and make for the door out of the room right before it went dark. Meanwhile, the eyes from the top extended a hand, pointing towards the base of the cliff Beacon stood on.

They must want to meet up there.

They quickly reached the fence and effortlessly jumped it. As soon as they landed, both boys took off running. They ran down the street as fast as they could, putting as much distance between themselves and the massive search in the area, and soon, the park vanished behind them.

"What just happened back there?!" Eric demanded as they reached the cliff side. "That couldn't have been a coincidence! Please don't tell me you had a sniper or something in the area! Because that would get us into even more trouble!"

Adam shook his head before opening his mouth to reply, but was cut off as two figures leaped off a nearby rooftop and landed next to the duo.

"Well, that was a close one, wouldn't you say?" Amber said as she straightened up, Cinder right next to her. "Let's NOT do that again. One heart attack in my teens is enough stress for a lifetime, wouldn't you agree?"

"You two!" Adam said, eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing here? How'd you even find us? I thought you would be fast asleep at Beacon by now!"

"You know, it's hilarious you think anyone couldn't find you with the racket you've been making." Cinder replied. "You blew up a warehouse, rammed through a police barricade, then detonated a sewer system. Kinda hard to miss something like that. Those, I suppose you can also just chuck it up to the police having bad luck. We just happened to be so close when said explosion happened."

"But thankfully, everything worked out in the end." Amber said cheerfully. "

She stopped when she saw Adam staring at Cinder, and said girl returning his stank eye. Immediately everyone felt the tension grow again. However, Amber was ready this time.

"Look, I know you two want to beat the stuffing out of each other, but not now! We know a secret way into Beacon and we're using it before all of us are caught and expelled. Tomorrow, if you both still have unresolved issues, beat each other up in combat class!"

Amber turned to make her way to the secret entrance, but stopped when she realized neither one had moved, both were too busy glaring at each other.

Amber let out a heavy sigh. Why couldn't these two swallow their pride and just get along? She took a step forward, ready to forcibly pull them back to Beacon if she had to, but was stopped by Eric, who raised his hand in front of her.

"Let's let them work this out." He said. "I think tonight has been a learning experience for all of us."

Amber opened her mouth to protest, but then stopped. As much as she hated to admit it, Eric had a point. If they couldn't work out their problems like adults, they'd be in hot water on an actual mission where their lives were in real danger.

She stood back, glancing over her shoulder as she went. She'd give them five minutes before she would have to call it a night. After all, there was no proof the police wouldn't come here eventually.

Adam and Cinder continued to glare at each other. Cinder's hands were shaking and her breathing was uneven. Meanwhile, Adam had his hand resting on his sword and his teeth bared. Even though he didn't have any aura, Eric could see him attacking the dark haired girl if she provoked him.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?" Adam asked coldly. I'm guessing you were the one firing arrows, but I still can't forgive you after all the comments you made about the Faunus. So if you have something to say just say it. I don't like waiting."

Cinder glared at Adam, her gaze somehow becoming even harder. A lesser man would have been halfway across the globe by now, but Adam held his ground, returning an equally harsh glare, refusing to give even an inch.

Slowly, Cinder let out a breath, her hands released and her face relaxed. Then she did something that made her entire team jaws collectively drop.

"I'm sorry for what I said this morning."

Cinder apologized as she lowered her head into a bow, her arms pressed tightly at her sides. Something none of her teammates thought she even knew how to do.

"I don't agree with what you said, but it was clearly still something you felt strongly about. I shouldn't have been so dismissive of your suffering. I shouldn't have assumed I knew everything about your situation. I was being inconsiderate and I apologize for that."

Shocked, all eyes turned to Adam, who was staring at Cinder, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He was so stunned by Cinder's apology he wasn't even aware they were waiting on him to reply.

After a few minutes, (in which Cinder stayed perfectly still.) Adam finally realized it was his turn and managed to scrape his jaw off the floor.

"I- I umm. Yes! T-Thank you for your apology!" He stumbled. This was the first time he had seen a human lower their head to a Faunus. "I-. You…I'm sorry as well! I wasn't the most considerate person either. So, how about we call it even." Adam slowly extended his hand to Cinder as the girl looked up.

"We don't have to agree, but I'm willing to try to get along. Tonight was…an eye opening experience to say the least."

Cinder stood at her full height as Adam finished his speech. She gave a scoff of annoyance and leaned forward glaring at Adam.

"Don't go acting all high and mighty on me!" She said shortly, poking him in the chest. "I was the one willing to take the first step, so don't act like you can take any credit for trying to offer the olive branch! That was all me!"

Adam opened his mouth to retort, but stopped as Cinder drew back with a slight blush across her face. "But seeing as it takes two to cause a fight, it takes two to agree. So just this once, I'll let you take credit for MY offer. And remember, I'm only offering this because I don't want you expelled and me getting stuck with some dead weight loser in your place."

At this point, Cinder was making an effort to look anywhere but at Adam. She had her arms folded across her chest and she shifted her eyes across the sky, trying to find something to focus on, eventually choosing the broken moon.

Adam's face softened as he watched the girl. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. He hadn't been very pleasant either.

"Apology accepted."

Immediately Cinder turned to the cliff, trying to avoid eye contact with any of her teammates. "Good. Now let's get back to Beacon before anyone realizes we're not in our room. The secret passage is down this way. Follow me and don't get left behind."

Without waiting a second, Cinder began walking along the cliffside. Eric and Adam exchanged a look, then grinned before following Cinder.

Behind them, Amber smiled as she watched the team. Finally things were starting to work themselves out. At first she had been worried that between Cinder's ego and Adam's…zeal, she had been worried they would never get along.

But now? With both of them willing to make compromises, maybe things would be alright after all.

Amber jogged up to Cinder and nudged her playfully with her elbow. "See? Told ya you were a good person somewhere deep inside. Doesn't it feel good to have friends instead of enemies?" She teased as Cinder tried to keep the blush off her face.

"Nobody asked you! Piss off!" Cinder snapped, turning away and giving Amber a light shove. This however caused her to grin even more as she caught herself and fell back into place next to Cinder.

She hadn't missed the smile on the dark haired girl's face.
________________________________
A few hours later.

Qrow knelt by one of the airships examining the engine. These things were supposed to be brand new. They wouldn't just combust randomly. Mr. Howard had donated them himself. That geezer had too much pride to give pieces of kick to the police.

As he searched, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. The flames had originated on the outside of the ship, so the police knew it wasn't an accident. But how could someone shoot the engine and not leave a bullet or something at the crime scene?

Qrow ran his hand along the outer plates, feeling the charred metal. Due to the explosion, it was hard to tell the order things had been damaged. Whoever had done this had clearly known What they were doing.

Suddenly, his fingers brushed against something sharp on the outer layer. Pausing to examine it second, he saw it had been welded on by a fair amount of heat. He carefully worked whatever it was off and got quite a surprise when he got a better look.

It was a mix of glass and fire dust.

This was what had caused the explosion that had ignited the engine, and because it was glass, it had shattered leave little to no trace. In fact, Qrow was certain only a highly skilled huntsman would even notice something like this. And with good reason.

Nobody in their right mind would ever use a glass bullet. It just wasn't practical. Hell, if even he tried to sell the idea, he be laughed out of the kingdom before the day was done. Just bringing up the concept of a glass bullet would be stupid.

But a glass arrow just might work.

Qrow let out a frustrated sigh as he buried his face in his free hand. "Damn it kid. Why do you have to make everything so much harder?"

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

So, if anyone's wondering why this mini arc was so bad, that's because of two reasons.

1 I wrote it when I was burned out.

2. It was originally planned to be longer. There are two missing chapters from the arc and basically I just crammed the important stuff into the last chapter.

I had debated on rewriting those lost chapters, but ultimately I didn't have enough time. The chapters would have contained a sequence were Adam and Eric were chased through the sewers by Igor while Amber and Cinder met up with Qrow. Those chapters would also have a bit more racism in it to make Cinder more empathetic towards the Faunus.

Anyway, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed. Bye!