The Human Monster - OPM X RWBY

Monster Versus Dragon

"So... what's wrong, kid?" Garou asked his friend as they walked through the courtyard of Signal, keeping his voice low so as to not cause a scene. He had just caught up to Weiss after she had left the arena, and now they had three hours before the finals began. They also had the option to watch the other semi-final, but Weiss had deemed whatever this was to be more important.

"It's- It's... I can't tell you here, we have to find a quiet place." The little girl answered, grabbing the red haired teen by the hand as they entered the school. It took a few minutes for them to get to their room, having to stop by the infirmary first so Weiss could be restored to full health - but soon enough, Garou was closing the door behind them as they stepped into their small dorm room, with Weiss sitting on one of the beds.

Now, an uncomfortable silence washed over the two friends. Garou waited patiently for Weiss to explain, her false green eye alight with confliction, anger, and sorrow. It took a few minutes for the young girl to compose herself, but eventually she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I- when I went to console Darcy- which went well, by the way... I saw something- something evil." She whispered, her fists clenching and voice harboring an unusual amount of disdain. Garou cocked an eyebrow, his golden eyes giving way to confusion and suspicion.

"Evil? What are you walking about?" He asked, feeling a hint of unease creep into his mind at Weiss' uncomfortable expression. The raven haired girl was silent for a few seconds, before finally revealing the truth of what she had witnessed.

"When I was on the way back, I heard these- these footsteps. They were as heavy as lead and loud as a gunshot... they- they were just like my father." Weiss paused for a moment as Garou twitched, not out of fear, but out of anger. The look in his eyes became more serious, like a gentle morning sun becoming a fearsome burning star.

"It wasn't him though... but- but he was just like him... I hid in the closet and looked outside through a crack in the door... it- it was Cardin. His father was hurting him, beating and screaming at him... just like mine..." Weiss' sentence trailed off into a whisper, before it came back in a rage as her expression darkened and contorted.

"At first I thought he was just a bully, but that's not it. That's not it at all! He- he's a victim, he's being abused- and- and he needs help!" There was a fire in the young girl's voice as she leapt up from her spot on the bed. "How could I call myself a hero if I didn't help someone in need?! Someone- someone like me! But I- I don't know what to do..." Weiss had squeezed her eye shut now, hot tears threatening to spill down her cheeks as she stood there, face red and body shaking.

There was a thick and uncomfortable silence, one that permeated through the air with a choking presence. Weiss was scared to open her eye, for reasons that she didn't even really know. Was it anxiety? Shame? Fear? The answer escaped her.
But after almost a minute of the cold and deafening silence, Weiss felt a hand on her shoulder that cut through it all. It was gentle and warm, yet seemed to be on the bring of crushing all of creation beneath its palm.

"Weiss."

The raven haired girl's eye hesitantly opened as she looked up, locking with the mismatched gold and crimson of her teacher and friend. Garou was staring down at her with an expression she couldn't quite comprehend, a smile that hid an all-encompassing wrath behind it.

"Don't worry about a thing, kiddo. I'll solve this problem in no time... you just rest here and get ready for your fight, got it?" For a moment, Weiss was relieved that Garou seemed to be taking this seriously, but another part of her psyche flared up a moment later as her lips curled down into a frown.

"B-but I want to help, I can't just sit back and do nothing!" Garou chuckled at the young girl's complaints, ruffling her hair which made her growl in annoyance. "Part of being a responsible hero is knowing when something is too big for you. Face it, kid. You're six. No matter how strong you are, you can't do much about a situation like this. There's no shame in turning to others for help... I wish I had learned that a long time ago." He said, his voice momentarily holding a slight amount of regret before he laughed it off with a smirk.