RWBY Sharingan Chapter 67: His Eyes (Patreon)

“Its time, Cinder.” Emerald said, elbows on her knees and hands in front of her face, fingers interlocked. On the opposite side of the room, laying on her own bed, Cinder stopped swiping through her scroll to glance over. “This is the perfect chance to finally get rid of those shades Talon is always wearing.”

Cinder looked back at her scroll.

“Come oonnn, I know you want to see what he looks like under them.” She didn’t stop her swiping, flat out ignoring her. “You’re really going to act like you aren’t curious? Not even a little bit.”

“His eyes looked normal to me.”

“You saw him without his glasses?” Emerald exclaimed, shooting up to a stand. All this time she’d been struggling just to catch him off guard, never managing so much as a peek, and Cinder had already done it? When? How?

“No.” Cinder admitted without looking her way. “I just saw them from the side.”

“And his eyes were open?”

“No.”

“Then it doesn’t count.” Emerald decided. At this point she was convinced Talon used his semblance to keep his shades in place. It didn’t matter if he was fighting, running around, or just relaxing, she could never get a glimpse of his eyes from any angle.

If Cinder was going to try and pretend she was satisfied with just that, then she needed to up her game.

“What if he’s like those people with eyes that are different colors? Maybe he has bug eyes? Or fisheyes?” Cinder was still trying to ignore her, but Emerald could’ve sworn she saw her mouth twitch. “He could have another crazy scar under there too. Maybe he doesn’t even have eyes and just uses his semblance to get around.” That last one was a little over the top, but this wasn’t about being realistic.

Finally, Cinder lowered her scroll and sat up, expression as unfriendly as ever. “Do you even have a plan?”

It was all about convincing Cinder and getting her help which she’d just got.

“I have several. Before the day is over, we’ll have those glasses.” Emerald declared confidently. With Cinder’s help, the fact that they were on a vacation, and the element of surprise on their side, this was going to work out perfectly.

Probably.

XOXO

Talon just ahead of Mercury, the two were running their way across the sand, keeping to a more isolated part of the beach where there weren’t so many people. Emerald would’ve assumed Mercury would be far more forceful about getting fights out of Talon despite him saying they wouldn’t be having any while they were in Argus, but Mercury didn’t actually seem bothered by the fights being delayed.

Probably because he knew he couldn’t beat him. Difference in strength aside, she still didn’t get how Talon was calm about keeping Mercury around and even sharing a room with him, but he knew what he was doing.

The two were racing and had been at it for a good while, their paths, never changing and spread across the very start of the sand and a handful of steps into the water. As they reached the water once again, Cinder had already finished up her role in the plan, back to standing across from her as they watched the two turn, running back.

As they drew closer Emerald focused all her attention on Talon, forcing herself to keep her eyes open despite the temptation to close them and make it easier.

Tons of kids, some identical to each other, and all running at the exact same speed appeared around him. There was no point in trying to make it realistic. Somehow, someway, semblance or not, he’d manage to poke some hole in her attempt. It was just met to overwhelm and keep him guessing.

Even if he knew something was coming, as long as he didn’t know what, things would work out.

Talon didn’t pay the illusions any mind, running through them even as she made some of the kids stop in his way, getting closer and closer.

All perfectly as planned.

Suddenly he slowed, Mercury inching ahead of him for the first time throughout all their back and forth. Focus faltering, her illusions flickered then vanished entirely.

Maybe he was just taking it easy for a second, letting Mercury get some confidence?

As Mercury slowly but surely put more distance between them, the answer became obvious.

This plan wasn’t going to work out at all.

“I told you it wouldn’t work.” Cinder said lowly.

“Just get ready to play dumb.” Emerald said back.

As Mercury stepped onto some of the sand between them, he lost his balance, one of his feet sinking further than intended. To her surprise, he managed to find steady enough footing to jump clean over the makeshift sinkhole they’d put together, continuing his run ahead.

Talon stopped in front of it, looking her way.

“I wonder how that got there.” Emerald said, trying her best to look innocent.

“Right.” Talon shook his head and ran around them, catching up to Mercury in no time flat.

Plan one was a failure, but this was only the start.

XOXO

“That’s it?”

“Uh, yeah. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s-“

“Alright.”

“Really? Just like that?”

“Its not like you’re asking for something difficult.” Mercury said, spinning the volleyball in his hands as he prepared to start off their fresh game with a serve. “Just keep sending me the ball.”

“Right.” Emerald quickly agreed, shaking off her surprise and moving to take up her spot in the middle of their side of the net.

She was still a little unsure of how to talk to Mercury or really what to think of him, but it was starting to feel like she was worried about nothing. Aside from those fights he was expecting from Talon, nothing fazed Mercury. Whether it was Talon or Cinder he went along with any orders while out on missions and apparently didn’t mind going along with her plan.

Unfortunately, that plan didn’t just fail but backfired entirely.

Mercury made a hard jumping serve. His target? Talon’s face.

Of course, Talon had no problem receiving the speeding ball, he and Cinder sending it back on their side. Emerald set Mercury up for a spike that, again, was aimed at Talon’s face. That was repeated over and over, Emerald throwing in her semblance to try and throw Talon off.

That was where the plan fell apart.

Rather than going for one of his casual spikes, as Talon jumped up for a weak set Cinder tossed up to help out with the plan, Mercury rising to block him, he swung his arm. Really swung his arm. The ball crashed into Mercury’s cheek with just as much force as the spikes he’d been targeting Talon with, sending him stumbling back to a sit on the sand.

At the same time, the ball rebounded to their side again. Rather than working with Cinder, Talon set himself up with a high set, rushing to spike again.

Too slow to move but fast enough to realize what was about to happen, Emerald could only close her eyes and accept her incoming fate. Which crashed right into her cheek, laying her flat on her back, her face throbbing in pain as she stared up at the sky.

She glanced down in time to see Talon turning to face Cinder, ball back in hand.

Yeah, this was worse than a failure.

XOXO

“Did you need to hit us so hard?” Emerald complained.

“Just consider that the third law of Talon’s training. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

“Did you really just use your own name? Wait third? What are the first two?”

“No idea.”

Emerald stared at Talon who smiled back. She wanted to call all that stupid but the whole equal and opposite reaction part actually sounded a little cool. The third person thing was still stupid though.

Shaking her head, she turned back to Mercury.

All of them were out in the furthest waters of the beach area, few people around them. Mercury had gotten down the basics of swimming quickly, currently trying to push himself to swim faster in front of them without any help. Cinder wasn’t nearly as confident, Emerald turning to look her way.

Cinder's hands were on Talon’s shoulders, treating him as a safety net whenever she started struggling to stay above the water. The perfect position for her role in this next plan.

“Can you keep an eye on Mercury? I want to grab something to drink.” Emerald said, after that silent stare of understanding between her and Cinder. Talon agreed and she took off, swimming towards the shore.

Step one complete.

As soon as she was far enough and she was sure Talon wasn’t looking, she took a deep breath and dived. Dipping far beneath the surface, she twisted her body to look back up in the direction the others were, none of them looking in the direction she had gone.

Would water mess with his semblance? She wasn’t sure but she was gambling on it at least doing something. If not, Cinder should be able to help.

She swam forward, stopping once she was beneath them.

No reaction.

Taking a moment to ready herself, Emerald started swimming upwards as fast as possible. Her illusions would just give her away and mess everything up. She needed to rely on a completely natural surprise factor.

Shooting past their legs, she kept close to Talon, hand reaching out long before she broke the water’s surface. As soon as she did, water splashing all around, she reached out even further.

She just missed her target, fingers grazing their edge as he backed up.

Cinder, by just a bit, pushed him forward.

Her fingers grasped the cold rim of one of the lenses.

“Yes!” Emerald exclaimed as she settled in the water, his glasses held up high. “I told you I’d get them.”

“Good work.” Talon said. Scars, maybe more like those burns. An actual missing eye or eyes. Emerald didn’t find any of the odder ideas she’d come up with. Not even the tamer ones turned out to be true. Instead, red eyes, a deep and vibrant shade of it, locked with her gaze. “Going to give them back?”

“Pfft, as if.” Emerald floated back, the world darkening as she slipped the shades on. “I worked hard for these so I’m keeping them.” She decided sticking her tongue out, regretting it moments later as salty water splashed onto it.

Talon didn’t stop her or use his semblance to yank them back, only shaking his head.

Honestly, it was kind of anticlimactic to find out normal pair of eyes was all he’d been hiding this whole time. Finally getting these off him after all her failures felt way more satisfying than surviving another day of what they all called training at least.

And it was kind of cool that they happened to share the same eye color.

XOXO

Dark red.

She’d never cared to pay Talon’s face much attention since he always kept some part of it hidden but now that it was on full display she couldn’t help her curiosity.

His dark bangs framed a lot of his face, water still dripping from their ends. Some droplets trailed down his actual face too, following the sharp outline of it. With how much he emphasized rest and taking care of themselves alongside training, she was surprised by the outline of bags beneath his eyes. They weren’t as bad as the ones she was used to seeing in the mirror, but he obviously didn’t get as much sleep as he should.

And his eyes themselves. They were big. Not like his actual face but the pupil and the red that surrounded it. She wasn’t sure when she decided it, but she’d half expected to find something stern and unreadable.

“What?” Talon question raising a brow, the amused curiosity in his eyes clear as day.  The both of them sat beneath the umbrella all their stuff was set up beneath. “I look stupid without my glasses?”

“No.” She said, looking back towards the water ahead.

Those expressive eyes of his were more fitting than the ones she expected.

XOXO

“I can’t believe its already over.”

“That’s how vacations go.”

“We’ll come back again, right?” Emerald asked, placing her repacked suitcase down once she came down the stairs, Cinder with her.

“Who knows.” I said, standing up while Mercury pushed off the wall beside the entrance, bag slung over his shoulder. “Thanks for letting us stay here.” With a wave and an exchange of thanks to Spider’s people, the four of us stepped onto the sunny streets of the city, prepared to catch an early airship.

“Looks like you all enjoyed yourselves.” Qrow said, waiting at the bottom of the short staircase.

“Coming back with us?” I asked as we came down. Between the two of us we’d come up with a colossal load of nothing in regard to Tyrian and where he went. Coming here almost felt like a waste of time knowing that even if he had been here, we had zero way to figure out where he’d gone afterwards.

“Nah. Some work I’ve got to do on the way to the city.” Qrow said. With us this far out he was probably investigating that rise in Grimm activity near Argus. The headmaster back at Haven mentioned it but it’d been the talk of the town here, some transportation in that direction stopping or rerouting just to be safe. “I should be back in time for that tournament though. I just thought I’d see you all off.”

“I’ll go with you then.” I said, turning towards the others. “You all want to head straight to Mistral or come with?”

Unlike with the attack on that Atlas base, these higher concentration of Grimm never resulted in us encountering anything having to do with Salem. I’d helped with enough work for Ozpin to know that.

“I’ll come.” Mercury said while Cinder nodded.

“Guess we’re jumping right back into work then.” Emerald said, nodding along.

“Did you kids even bring any supplies to head out beyond the city?”

“That’s what lien is for.” I said.

“Alright then. Its your money.” Qrow agreed with a shrug. “I picked up a job that’ll take us out in the same direction. We aren’t leaving yet but I’ll introduce you all to a few of the other huntsmen we’ll be working with.”

Qrow must’ve thought the same thing if he was leveraging typical work to have a few extra huntsmen nearby when he went to check out the reports on the Grimm. And, for once, his semblance shouldn’t cause any trouble for the group.

Without any bad luck hounding them, it should be a relatively simple hunting of some Grimm.

XOXO

(A/N: Slice of life stuff will once again be thrown into the backseat after this chapter. We've got extremely important stuff coming up so I hope you're all looking forward to that. I especially am myself!

Thank you all for reading and continuing to support me. It means the absolute world to me.)