STRQ (A RWBY fanfiction) [Book 1]

Chapter 33

We made it back to our dorm later that night. Qrow called Ozpin and explained the situation.

After the call ended, I looked over at Qrow.
"What did he say?" I asked.

"He wants us to meet in his office tonight and go into more detail about what happened."

"Oh. Okay."

I glanced over at Tai. His head was resting on Raven's arm as she slept. Her face looked paler than usual.

"I'll look after her. You two go on without me," Tai said quietly.

I nodded. "Sure. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Once we arrived at Ozpin's office, he was waiting outside. He had a serious look on his face.

"Hi... Professor," I greeted him.

"Hello, Miss Rose. Qrow has told me about the events of your previous mission. I would like to hear more details from you, if you don't mind."

I nodded. "Of course."

"Excellent. Let's head inside."

Qrow and I followed him silently and we sat across from him.

"Now... Qrow has told me that you encountered Arthur Watts at a local dust shop. Could you explain to me what happened?"
Ozpin asked, leaning forward slightly.

"We encountered him as he was leaving. As were were interrogating him, he suddenly pulled something small from his pocket. Before I could see what is was, Raven was hit in her leg by something. It was a tiny needle. I don't know what was in it, but she collapsed unconscious within a few minutes."

Ozpin nodded intently. "I see. What happened next?"

"Summer tried to call the police, but her scroll wouldn't work. Tai and I tried to as well, but ours quit working too. I'm guessing it was a virus of some sort. This Arthur Watts is good with technology from what I hear," Qrow added.

"Can I take a look at your scrolls for a moment?" Ozpin asked.

We bought out our scrolls from our pockets and laid them on Ozpin's desk from him to look at. After examining them for a short time, Ozpin put them in a drawer.

"You are correct. The scrolls have been infected with a virus. Unfortunately, this virus can't be removed, so I'll have to order new scrolls for the four of you."

I was disappointed. "Okay. How much are they?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Don't worry about that. The schools funds should take care of it."

"Um... are you sure? I feel bad about the school paying for it," Qrow said.

"It's no problem at all. Your team has been through enough tonight. It's the least I can do. You all should return to your dorms. If Raven's condition gets any worse, I suggest taking her to get treated immediately."

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. Will do. Let's go, Summer."

I followed him quietly back to our dorm. Tai was still at Raven's side, it didn't look like he had moved at all...

"Tai... it's getting late. You need sleep," I said.

"No. I'm staying by Raven's side. I promised myself I wouldn't leave her until she recovers."

"You need to recover too. You've been through a lot today. I understand that you want Raven to get better. We all do. We'll check on her first thing in the morning. If she's worse than before, we'll take her to get healed," I promised him.

Tai sighed and then slowly rose to his feet.
"Okay. I'll be up bright and early to check on her."

I smiled. "Sounds good. Get some sleep, okay?"

I crawled into my bed and laid my head on my pillow. I must've been more tired than I realized. My eyes felt like lead. Before I knew it, I was asleep in seconds.

I was awoke by someone shaking me.

"Summer... get up!" a voice begged.

I slowly opened my eyes. Qrow was near my bedside, his face looked extremely distressed.

"What is it?" I asked, still a bit tired.

"It's Raven... she's barley breathing. Her skin feels like it's on fire!"

I quickly got out of bed and walked over to Raven's side. Her breathing wasn't deep like it had been before. It was shallow and uneven. I gently touched her cheek with my fingers. Qrow's description was accurate. She was burning up. Her face didn't look peaceful as she slept. She looked genuinely uncomfortable and in pain.

"Um... I think we should take her to get treated," I said.

"I... I don't know if we'll get her there in time. She just keeps getting worse," Qrow whispered.

I glanced over at Tai. His eyes were locked on Raven. He didn't seem to be listening.

"I'm so sorry, Raven... I promised that I would protect you from danger. All I ever wanted was to keep you safe and happy," Tai whispered, sounding close to tears.

"Tai," I replied quietly.

Tai ignored me. "What kind of teammate am I if I can't protect you? Why can't I...?"

His voice trailed off as I he started sobbing. I found myself tearing up as well. My teammate was dying in front of me, and all I could do was watch...

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Then I noticed something strange happening to Raven. Her body had started to glow a yellow color. Tai's aura had somehow manifested and was affecting Raven.

"What... what is going on?" Tai asked, confused.

"I have no idea. But whatever you're doing, don't stop. I think your aura is healing her," I said.

Raven had relaxed a little. Her breathing seemed to be going back to normal.

"That's a pretty useful semblance you have," Qrow said.

"Semblance? But I always thought mine was durability," Tai replied.

"It might be still. Your semblance can change if you train enough," I mentioned.

Tai nodded. "Yeah... I guess so."

Raven's eyes slowly opened.
"What's... going on?" she whispered.

Tai's eyes lit up. "Raven! I'm so happy you're awake! Don't worry, I think you'll be just fine. I'll take care of you."

"Okay... I don't remember anything though..."

"I'll catch you up later. Just relax and try not to move too much, okay?" I said.

She nodded. "Yeah. Whatever."

I smiled, feeling relieved. "I told you all that nothing would tear us apart, didn't I?"

Qrow grinned at me. "Yeah, you did. And I believe you."

"I'll be honest, I had doubts about this team at first. But I've realized that we can do anything we set our minds to if we do it together. We'll show this school who's the strongest team," Tai said.

Raven smiled a bit. "Damn right we will."