RWBY: Team HELL

Chapter 9: Role Of A Leader pt. 2

"The kids seem to have adjusted well..."

Leo glanced up from his work. Harlow was leaning against the door frame with two mugs of coffee, swirling one of the cups around.

Leo gave him a tired smile. "As well as they can at a time like this."

"They're the best we can get after what happened with Beacon."

Harlow placed one of the mugs down and sat opposite from Leo.

The lion faunus sighed, "Still, we don't have enough students. Soon, the upperclassmen will be sent off on their away missions and we'll only be left with the 2nd years and the freshman."

"Leo, it's not like a hoard of Grimm are just posted up around the school waiting until the rest of the kids leave to attack. We've given the older kids all we can, and we'll do the same for the new kids and just hope that they're ready when trouble comes."

"That's just it, Harlow. I cannot rely on hope anymore. I cannot rely on feelings and pure dumb hope. If we are not ready for when trouble comes, we will fall just as Beacon did..."

Harlow took a sip from his coffee, furrowing his eyebrows. He hadn't seen Leo like this in a while, if at all. Maybe the fall of Beacon really did affect him a lot more than he initially thought.

"We have the girl. And if what you said about her is true, then we should be fine."

Leo gave him a nod, but he didn't seem too confident in himself. Harlow stood and walked around the office, running his two fingers along the bindings of the books, "I've never heard of these Silver Eyed Warriors before."

"No one has. They've been kept secret for a very long time. There are...very unkind souls who want to get their hands on them-"

"So-why is she here? She would have been a lot safer with Cassum-"

"She wouldn't have been safe. She never was safe, Harlow. Even before that night, someone would find her. Someday, somewhere-someone was looking for her. She is much safer here. She can learn to fight and hopefully, with the limited knowledge we have, she will be able to defend not herself but her team."

Harlow scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah...that's kinda what I wanted to talk you about. Are you...sure about this? She's only fourteen, she's never been to a combat school-Why don't you just, I don't know, change it?"

"Change it?"

"Yeah! Make Lucio their leader! He's much more prepared to handle a situation like this!"

Leo smiled. He stood up and placed a hand on Harlow's shoulder, "I understand. Really, I do. And while I think Lucio is much more prepared...they all need to be. As huntsmen, they're all going to be placed in positions that they don't want or aren't suited for. You and I know this better than anyone else..."

"Leo, please. Have some sense! She's-She's just not ready!"

"She will be. With our help, she will be ready."

Harlow sighed. He wanted to argue further-that Aurora just wasn't up to par when it came to the title of leader. But he didn't.

He let it be.

Despite his qualms, he couldn't find it in himself to fight further.

Despite being a coward, Leo always knew what to do. He knew he could place his trust in him no matter what.

He just had to keep trusting him for as long as he could.

And that's how they would win.
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Aurora was still wide awake. She was too anxious to sleep. She just stared up at the ceiling, her head spinning with thoughts.

All she could think was how naïve she had been this whole time. To think that her useless semblance and equally shitty weapons could cover up the fact that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing here.

What was she even thinking? To leave the safety of her guardian's house to follow a stupid dream only to second guess herself every step of the way and putting everyone in danger?

What was she even here for? Other than her strange power that leaves her immobile-she was useless.

She didn't belong here.

She didn't belong here with these people.

She was alone among a sea of more experienced huntsmen, and she had no idea what to do.

Would she just turn back? Turn her back on her team, give back the generous offer that Headmaster Lionheart gave her, and go back home and hope Cassum would take her back?

Could she really do that? After all she's done to get here, could she really just throw it all away?

She grabbed her pillow and groaned loudly into it, "why is this so hard?"

"Why is what so hard?"

Aurora looked up to see Evelyn peeking over the bed and staring down at her.

"E-Evelyn! Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you!" She whispered.

"What's up? You have a nightmare or something?" Evelyn asked, leaning in closer.

"N-no. I just...can't sleep. I've got a lot on my mind."

"Wanna go for a walk? Clear your mind a little?"

"Are we allowed to do that?"

Evelyn carefully jumped down, "No, but I feel like if we keep talking, the boys are gonna wake up and they're not going to be very happy about it."

Aurora nodded as she grabbed Evelyn's hand. The fanus girl pulled her up and together, the two crept out of the dorms and into the courtyard.

"So, you wanna tell me what's been going on with you?" Evelyn asked.

Aurora sighed heavily, "I'm starting to think that this was all a mistake."

"What? Coming to Mistral?"

"Everything! I don't have the formal training you guys do. My semblance is shit, my weapons are duds-and now I'm supposed to be the leader of a team? I only unlocked my semblance a few months ago! I don't even have total control over it!"

"Yeah, and you're probably not the only one. You can't beat yourself up over this stuff too much. I know there's not a lot of people here, but think about the ones who are. There are probably some souls who are just like you. They don't know what they're doing and are just going along with what they see."

Aurora gave a half hearted shrug. "I guess you're right...."

Evelyn placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and pulled her close, "Hey, just because you're the leader doesn't mean you're in this alone. You got us. You got me! And I'll help you! We'll all help you! That's the point of going to a school for huntsman. We learn, we train, we get shit done!"

A small smile tugged at Aurora's lips. "Y-yeah...yeah! You're right! I can do this!" She exclaimed.

"Hell yeah you can!" Evelyn yelled louder.

"HEY! WHO'S THERE?!" Someone from a separate dorm shouted, "WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!"

Both girls quickly hushed up, suppressing their laughter.

"We should probably head back inside before we get in trouble." Aurora whispered.

"Yeah, you're right." Evelyn replied as the two tiptoed back to their dorm. They quietly slid off their shoes and slipped into bed. They bidded each other goodnight.

Aurora stared up at the bunk bed, determination building in her heart.

'I can do this. I'm not alone. I can do this with them. I don't have to do this alone. I won't do this alone.'