“My name is Corey Gold Tokiwa-Silver,  I used to see myself as Just a Passing through Faunus and I wanted everyone to remember that.” I looked at my girlfriend and she was sparring with a cowboy who is too stubborn for his own good to use a damn weapon. I was in a black Jacket with a white undershirt.

“Yang, are you ready for a fight?” Dan smirks as he and Yang are sparring outside. We got banned from using the training room.

Let me just catch you up on what happened: I got beaten up by Mercury Black before Yang called me her boyfriend and I'm her little kitty. I'm no longer running from my past. I revealed a small part of my Semblance to everyone, I can manifest anything from shadows. I don't like using it since I feel like a monster. Azu is a Grimm turned Human but we lied to Ozpin about her origins and she told him that her Semblance is the ability to turn into a Grimm. She calls it Grimm-fixation.  Sumire is supposed to die at the end of the semester. Am I forgetting anything? Nope?

I watched Dan take a fighting stance so he can spar with Yang. “First one to fall buys drinks at Junior?” Dan smirked.

“Sounds good.” Yang is messing with her Ember Celiaca.

I saw Azu, Sumire, and Team Rwby with Team JNPR joining us. Dan and Yang squared off, each sizing the other up. The tension in the air was thick, as if the fight was more about pride than anything else. Yang, her Ember Celica gleaming in the sunlight, cracked her knuckles, clearly ready to show off her skills. Dan, on the other hand, stood there with that signature cocky grin, not a single weapon in sight. It was always amusing to watch him fight like this, relying entirely on his physical prowess and sheer willpower.

“Ready when you are, Cowgirl.” Dan’s smirk widened, clearly enjoying the challenge. He didn’t care about the odds, didn’t care about Yang’s explosive strength or the fact that she could probably punch through a brick wall. He was ready for anything.

Yang shot him a wink. “You better keep up, Cowboy. I’ll make you regret not using a weapon.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I watched them. As much as I wanted to say something sarcastic, I was still feeling the effects of yesterday’s fight. Mercury had really gotten under my skin. But at least I wasn’t in any immediate danger, right? I wasn’t concussed, and though I was coughing up a little blood here and there, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the beating I’d taken. Still, it made me wary.

Blake was standing nearby with a teasing grin, her eyes glinting in a way that made me feel like she was up to something. She crossed her arms, watching me carefully. "How’s my look-alike doing?" she asked, her tone light but with a hint of concern underneath.

"I’m fine," I replied, brushing off the comment as best as I could. "No concussion, just a bruised ego and a bit of blood." I half-smiled at her, trying to stay lighthearted despite everything. The truth was, I was still pretty shaken by the fight, especially the way I’d used my Semblance. I hated it. I hated that I’d felt so out of control.

“Just make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard,” Blake said, her usual serious demeanor softened by the concern she showed me. “We don't need another casualty.”

I grinned at her, though it still hurt a little. "Don't worry, I’m not a casualty... yet." I glanced over at Azu, who was watching the sparring match intently from the sidelines. She had her usual calm expression on her face, but I knew better. I could see the flicker of anxiety in her eyes whenever she looked at me.

Azu, always the enigmatic one, was a mystery to everyone, even to me. Her Grimm-fixation Semblance was something I still didn’t fully understand. She could switch between her Grimm form and human form, something that I imagine was both a blessing and a curse for her. Watching her like this made me think back to how she’d lied to Ozpin about her origins. It didn’t sit right with me, but I understood why she did it. She didn’t want to be treated differently, and she had enough trouble just existing as she was.

Sumire was nearby too, watching everything unfold with a calm intensity. I could feel the weight of her words from yesterday still hanging over me. She had told us about her fate, about how she was supposed to die at the end of the semester. It was a lot to process, and honestly, I was still grappling with it. How could I help her if she was just resigned to that fate? I didn’t know, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let it happen without a fight.

“Gold Senpai,” Azu said, breaking my train of thought. She looked over at me, a quiet, almost unreadable look in her eyes. "Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve been through a lot already."

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, no kidding.” I watched as Dan and Yang began their spar, the sounds of their fists meeting the air filling the space between us. It was a weird feeling, knowing my friends were all so ready to go to bat for me, even when I was struggling to figure out who I was.

“Alright, alright, enough with the drama,” Dan called out from his position across from Yang, still grinning. "Let’s see if you can handle this, Yang."

Yang chuckled, unphased by his cocky attitude. "Just try and keep up, Cowboy." She launched herself at him, her Ember Celica flashing, but Dan dodged her with surprising agility, evading her first strike with ease. It was like they had their own little dance, a back-and-forth of energy and speed, and I couldn’t help but admire how well they moved together. It wasn’t just a sparring match—it was a testament to how much they had grown over the past few months.

"That’s it, Yang!" Ruby cheered from the sidelines. "Give him a taste of that Ember Celica action!"

Yang responded with a wink, then landed a punch that sent Dan flying back a couple of feet. He stumbled but quickly regained his balance, only to charge back at her, unrelenting. Their sparring had a rhythm to it, a playful intensity that was hard not to watch with a smile. But I couldn’t just sit here forever.

“Come on, Corey, stop watching and help me out with this!” Sumire suddenly called, dragging me back into focus. She flashed me a smile, but I could see the slight edge in her eyes. She knew I’d been avoiding the deeper conversation, the one about fate, and about what it meant for all of us.

I took a deep breath. "Alright. You’ve got it, Sumire." It was time to stop running. Time to be there for my friends, whether I liked it or not.

I followed Sumire deep into the woods. “What's this…” I grabbed a napkin and coughed into it.

“Well it's about the dance.” She looked at me.

“I'm going with Yang.”  I answered. That's if I don't pass out from a lack of blood in my body.

“I was wondering if…. Azu liked to go with me. You know my ex-girlfriend is in Vacuo.” Sumire opened up to me.

I stopped dead in my tracks when Sumire’s words hit me. "Wait... what?" My voice caught in my throat as I turned to her, my eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to make sense of what she had just said.

Sumire had a small, nervous smile on her face. "I... I was wondering if Azu would like to go with me to the dance. You know, after everything... my ex-girlfriend is still back in Vacuo."

My heart skipped a beat. I don’t know why it bothered me, but it did. My thoughts immediately went to Azu—her Grimm-fixation, her constant battle to keep control over her dual nature. Was I supposed to be okay with this? Was I just being a selfish idiot, caught up in my own emotions?

But the thing was, it was bothering me. My hand moved almost instinctively to my weapon, my fingers brushing over the familiar shape of the gauntlets. I could feel the weight of the Fated Hour in my hand, the metal revolver and claws calling to me like a dark whisper in my ear. My fingers tightened around the trigger. I didn’t even mean to. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was getting lost in a whirlwind I didn’t want to face.

“Sumire,” I muttered, my voice low. “Why would you want her to go with you? Don’t you think that’s a little... I don’t know, it's complicated?”

Sumire’s smile faltered, and she glanced away for a second, her usual calm composure cracking just a little. “I don’t know, Corey. I guess I’m just trying to be honest about myself for once. I’ve been so focused on fate, but I don’t want to keep ignoring who I am.”

I took a deep breath, fighting the rush of emotions that were clawing at my chest. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to say. This was fate talking to me again, wasn’t it? The same fate that had crushed me time and time again, threatening to take everyone I cared about.

I couldn't stop myself. Fated Hour flicked into place in my gauntlet, and without even thinking about it, I pointed it straight at my head. The weight of the weapon was strangely calming in that moment, even though I knew it wasn’t real. The cold steel of the revolver felt almost comforting, like a cruel reminder of everything I couldn’t control.

I could feel Sumire’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look back. “Sometimes, I wonder if we’re all just playing the hand we’re dealt,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “Fate seems to always win, doesn’t it? No matter how much we try to fight it.”

I stood there for a few seconds, the clawed gauntlet held high, the revolver still aimed at my head. The weight of it felt oddly right, as if it belonged there. It wasn’t until I heard Sumire’s voice, soft but firm, that I snapped back to reality.

"Corey," she said, taking a cautious step toward me. "Put it down. This isn’t the answer."

I didn’t know why I was doing it. I wasn’t suicidal. Hell, I didn’t even think I wanted to die. But the idea of fate, of not being able to control the path I was walking, felt suffocating.

“You’re right,” I muttered, finally pulling the weapon away and letting my shoulders slump. I couldn’t even look her in the eye. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Sumire placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch surprisingly gentle. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now, Corey. None of us do. We’re all just trying to make it through. But we can’t do it alone. Not you, not me, not any of us.”

I felt a knot loosen in my chest, but a part of me still felt... off. Like something was hanging in the air that hadn’t been addressed yet. Maybe it was my own insecurities, or maybe it was the overwhelming pressure of everything happening all at once.

I nodded, though it didn’t feel like enough. “Thanks, Sumire. I think I needed that.”

We stood in silence for a few moments, neither of us speaking. I could hear the distant sounds of Yang and Dan still sparring, their voices occasionally carried on the wind. The rest of the world was still turning, even as I felt like I was stuck in place.

But for once, I didn’t feel like I was doing it alone. I glanced at Sumire again, who was still looking at me with understanding. She wasn’t judging me, and that made a world of difference.

“Hey, let’s go back to the group,” I said, my voice steadier now. “I’m done being lost for today.”

Sumire smiled. "Yeah. Let’s go."

We turned and walked back towards the others, the weight of my internal battle feeling a little lighter. For now, at least, I could face the world again.