I own nothing.
Chapter 14: Instincts vs Orders

"A training mission?" (Y/N) repeated as Clover handed him a communicator.
It had been a few days since visiting Weiss, and, after taking Klein's advice about tea and lavender scented candles, the young boy had been sleeping a little
better. He didn't usually sleep the whole night, but the dark circles under his eyes were noticeably lighter. He had come down to the training hall this morning for his normal schedule, only for Clover to quickly lead him away and explain that today would be a real test of his skills.
"This is an actual mission, (Y/N)." The older male corrected. "A Sabyr is loose down in Mantle. It's a small one, so it's been giving our usual scouts the run around. You've got higher maneuverability in tight quarters than anyone, so this will be a good chance to show what you've learned in the past few months."
"Okay, but if we're going down to Mantle, why are we walking in the opposite direction of the hangers?"
Clover smiled, opening a large door. "You didn't think we were sending you on your first mission under equipped, did you?"
Stepping inside, (Y/N) saw several people rushing around what looked to be a fully tech-out forage. Blasters, swords, hammers, all sorts of weapons lined the walls as several more were being upgraded by machines. A woman dressed like a cross between a blacksmith and a scientist walked up to them.
"Clover, punctual as usual. I assume you and the recruit are here to pick up the new gear?"
Clover nodded. "Yes ma'am. (Y/N), this our current Weapons Master."
The Weapons Master groaned. "I keep telling you to stop calling me such an outdated term. I didn't even oversee the forging of his weapons."
"Yes, but you authorize all forging."
She gave him a dirty look before turning (Y/N). "Follow me, young man. I want to do a final fit before we send you out."
The boy nodded and followed her to a nearby workbench, a pair of shiny gauntlets laying on top of it. They looked strikingly familiar to Yang's and (Y/N) felt a twinge of comfort seeing them.
"Are...are those really mine?"
The Weapons Master smiled. "For you and you alone. Give them a try."
(Y/N) scrambled to get the weapons on, remembering how Yang would put on her Ember Cilica. Once they were on, (Y/N) bounced on the balls on his feet, throwing a few quick jabs to test the weight. He beamed in delight.
"They're perfect!"
"Good to know. I was worried we had gotten the weight wrong, but it seems Specialist Schnee was well informed."
He glanced at her in shock. "Winter had these made for me?"
"Yes. She was quite detailed in her request: what type of weapon you'd be most comfortable with, suitability for your Faunus traits, weight, size, etc. She was very meticulous in her design choice. She also mentioned you'd appreciate a certain design choice."
The Weapons Master pulled him over to a set of training dummies and urged him into a fighting stance. (Y/N) pulled his arms back, he heard an unmistakable clicking and smirked as he punched forward. A shot came from the weapon as the training dummy was sent flying back thanks to a burst of lighting Dust.
The Weapons Master pulled out a holographic checklist. "Shotgun radius is functional, with no movement hinderance. You will be restricted to lightning Dust for stunning purposes for now, but I'm sure you'll be able to move up once you're ready. Next, let's test out the blades."
"Blades?" He repeated, before noticing them on the sides of his weapons.
Pulling his arms in, the Weapons Master talked him through the process of drawing them, making him test out both length settings before sheathing them and scribbling down notes.
"Blades are functional. Possible upgrades to shorten drawing time should be considered. I'll have Dr. Polendina review the blueprints."
"Wait, Polendina?" (Y/N) said. "Like Penny?"
The name stung his heart as he said it while Clover's expression cooled, as if he didn't want (Y/ ) to know about it. Nevertheless, the look on the dragon's face cemented he wasn't going to drop the subject.
"That's right. I forgot you met the good doctor's invention at the Vytal Tournament."
"Can I talk to him?" (Y/N) asked, almost pleaded.
Clover shook his head. "Not today. You've got a mission. And you still aren't fully suited up."
The dragon hung his head in disappointment as the Ace Op nodded to the Weapons Master. The woman walked over to a closet, opening to reveal an Atlas Military uniform that was clearly (Y/N)'s size. He walked up to it and began to feel the fabric and it itched under his hand.
"Your target might be a Sabyr, but if you're going to be trusted with a mission, you might as well look the part." Clover said, his words attempting to sound encouraging but coming off as hollow. "Suit up, (Y/N), and head over to the hanger to meet up with Harriet and Marrow."

(Timeskip)

Harriet and Marrow were an interesting combination for (Y/N) to be paired up with to say the least. Hare was a no nonsense, all business type who expected nothing less but the boy's absolute best at all times during training. The dragon had lost count of the amount of laps he was forced to fly around the academy because of her insistent drive for him to be perfect, even when he was clearly worn out. In contrast, Marrow was probably the person (Y/N) enjoyed training with the most, maybe next to Winter. The older Faunus, while training to emulate his teammates' drive for professionalism, was exceptionally fair in his teachings, knowing when (Y/N) was at his limit and backing off. It probably also helped that he was the newest member of the Ace Ops, so he likely had more empathy for what the boy was adjusting to. Due to this difference in teaching styles, the two were more focused on arguing with each other about the best approach to this mission on the way down, leaving (Y/N) peacefully out of the way. Once they touched down, the three split up to scout the area where the Grimm had last been sighted.
(Y/N) perched on a lamppost, trying to scan for the Grimm. "I don't care how small it is. It can't be that hard to spot a Grimm in broad daylight."
Just then, a snowball more ice than snow was lobed at him. (Y/N) easily batted it away with his wing and turned to see a sour looking teenager glaring at him.
"Nice try." The boy snarked.
"Hey freak!" The older boy spat. "Be a good animal and go find somewhere else to perch!"
Mist puffed from (Y/N) nostrils as he huffed. Nearby, a woman watched them, seemingly more annoyed with the dragon than the brat picking a fight. Not wanting to deal with this, (Y/N) stood up, showing off his new uniform, which immediately changed both their expressions to fear.
"Go inside." The boy ordered. "It's not safe right now."
The woman immediately ran to the teen and grabbed his arm, pulling him into a nearby apartment. Both occasionally glanced back, as if expecting him to attack them. (Y/N) let out a sigh as he heard the door slam. Fortunately, his communicator came on as Harriet reported.
"Nothing in southern or western quadrants."
"The north's clear too." Marrow added. "(Y/N), you're the closest to where it was last spotted. Do you see anything?"
"Nothing yet." The boy answered back. "There's no way we could've missed it. It would stick out like a sore thumb."
"We have the sector sealed off, it couldn't have left the area." Hare said, clearly frustrated. "So where is it?"
"Wait, Mantle has an underground sewer network, right?" (Y/N) asked as Marrow understood what he was getting at.
"Oh, you think it's using the pipes to get around without being noticed. Good thinking, (Y/N)."
Harriet growled. "If its underground, that'll make it even more difficult to track."
(Y/N) glided to the ground and walked up to a pipe connected to a nearby building. Placing his hand on it and closing his eyes, (Y/N) swore he could hear and feel the unmistakable, rhythmic thumping of something running up the pipe.
"Maybe I can track."
"What, from topside?" Marrow asked as the boy took flight.
"If it's running in the pipes, it's making noise. It's bound to be echoing. If I can find an opening, I can probably hear it moving down there. Harriet, is there any opening nearby that I can listen to?"
It took a minute for the woman to respond. "There's an open access pipe in an alleyway two blocks south of your current location, (Y/N). If it is going in and out of the sewers to hunt, that's probably its entrance and exit point."
(Y/N) nodded and raced towards the location. The alleyway was covered in muck and trash, to the point where it was practically invisible, perfect cover for a Grimm to sneak in and out of. Nearly passing out because of the stench, (Y/N) didn't even land as he concentrated on his hearing. Like he thought, he could hear something moving through the network, its footsteps echoing at a fast pace. The Sabyr was hunting.
"It's nearby." He placed a hand on the communicator. "Harriet, are there any other openings nearby?"
Before she could answer, a piercing wail echoed in the air. Ignoring the Ace Ops orders to regroup with them, (Y/N) rushed to where the yelling was coming from. In a dead end street, a man and a young girl were the only souls there. The man was in a panic as he gripped the child for dear life as his leg was bleeding heavily. The girl (much younger than even (Y/N)) was screaming and crying her lungs out as the back of her coat was between the fangs of the target, who was trying to pull its prey underground through an opening that had clearly been made due to poor maintenance. This was how it was hunting, using the various holes made by the poorly maintained streets to snatch people unexpectedly.
"Hang on!" (Y/N) yelled as he dove to help.
Drawing his blades, he stabbed into the muzzle of the Grimm, causing it to shriek back in pain, letting go of the girl in the process as she and her father were sent tumbling. (Y/N) placed himself between the two and Sabyr, which pushed itself out of its hiding place for a violent confrontation. The girl began crying loudly and clinging to her father, agitating the Grimm further.
"Go! Run!" The boy urged.
The man tried to scoop up his daughter to escape, but collapsed as his leg finally gave out on him. The Sabyr, seeing a helpless target, charged with killing intent, but was punched away by (Y/N).
"Eyes on me, kitty." He growled as his communicator went live.
"(Y/N), what's going on?" Marrow asked.
"I found the Grimm." The dragon answered. "I've got a person injured over here. I'll take care of the Grimm, you guys come to my location."
"Negative, rookie." Hare pipped up. "Do not eliminate the target."
"What?!" (Y/N) shouted as he dodged a swipe from the Grimm.
"Orders just came in to capture the Grimm to use it for training use at Atlas Academy. (Y/N), subdue it, but don't use the lightning Dust shots. The amount was calculated for a normal sized Grimm."
The Sabyr paced, trying to get an opening to attack the people behind him, but (Y/N) opened his wings to make himself bigger.
"Harriet, I have two civilians behind, one that can't walk and the other who is practically a toddler. What do you want me to do!?"
"Figure it out, rookie. We'll be there soon to back you up."
The line went dead as (Y/N) growled. "You've got to be-!"
The Grimm launched at him, claws extended. (Y/N) instinctively side stepped to dodge, though that seemed to be the creature's intention as it tried to go after the civilians. (Y/N) immediately pulled it back by the tail as the man attempted to crawl away from the fight. Sending the cat skidding towards some garbage cans, (Y/N) weighed his options. He could maybe carry the man and the kid away, but even then, the Sabyr would likely chase after them, attacking anyone else that crossed its path. It had to be kept in the alleyway, but (Y/N) was pretty much wired to end a fight as quickly as he could, so he didn't know how to stall the Grimm without killing it...
Why was he even worried about that? Ending it was the best option, but now, he somehow had to wrangle a feral monster on the fly while protecting two other people. This was stupid.
The Grimm didn't give him much time to plan as it came charging at him once more, swiping at him with vicious speed. (Y/N) dodged the swipe, punching the cat and hoping it would go down. Eventually, he decided that de-fanging the Grimm was probably the best place to start, so when he used his tail as a lure to get it to lunge, he lengthened his blade and sliced the first fang off. However, he underestimated the Sabyr's own strength as it bash its head against his exposed side to knock him off balance, again choosing to go after the civilians. The man held his daughter protectively as the Grimm pounced, but (Y/N) was a step faster, pouncing on the Grimm's back and grappling its neck with the flat of his right blade. The Grimm howled and thrashing, trying to knock the boy loose and slashed wildly at its prey. One swipe came all too close for (Y/N)'s comfort, but was stopped as an arrow pierced through the creature's paw, causing it to rear back, about to crush (Y/N) under it.
"Hold on!" An unfamiliar voice called out, but (Y/N) was done.
The order wasn't worth his or anyone else's safety, much less their lives, so as the boy let go to avoid being crushed, he slit the Sabyr's throat, causing it to dissolve.
He sighed before glancing at the civilians. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yes." The father said, breathing heavily. "Yes, thank you, young man."
"Don't mention it. I'm sorry I let it get that close."
"I wouldn't beat yourself up." The voice from before called out. "That was impressive, especially for a kid."
(Y/N) looked over and saw two women standing there. One was a tan woman with light blond hair and violent eyes. There was a crossbow connected to her arm, so she had been the one to assist him. The other was a much shorter sheep Faunus with white hair and green eyes. She immediately ran to the man and his daughter and began to patch them up as the blonde approached him.
"There was some fine fighting there. Not every day you see a kid punch a Grimm in the face, but it wasn't unwelcome."
(Y/N) blushed, rubbing his head bashfully. "Thanks, I'm still getting used to it."
The woman's expression became a bit more serious. "Maybe go for the kill a little quicker next time. You won't always be able to muscle them."
The dragon's expression fell as he hung his head. "I-I'm sorry. I was told to take it alive, but I just couldn't control it without someone getting hurt."
"You're a little young to be in the military." The sheep Faunus said as she finished wrapping the man's wounds.
"I'm...not. Not really."
"Uniform tells a different story." The blonde woman pointed out.
"I'm just...under General Ironwood's watch for now. I'm not allowed to talk about it."
Sensing the boy's discomfort, and not wanting to put him in a tough spot with the bucket of bolts that was General Ironwood, the woman smiled and held out her hand. "Robyn Hill. This is my teammate, Fiona Thyme."
(Y/N) smiled back and shook her hand. "(Y/N) Rose Xiao-Long."
"Well, (Y/N), I hope we'll be seeing more of you down here in Mantle. I can already tell you'd be more useful than the sentries down here. A Grimm shouldn't have gotten this deep into the city if Atlas did it's job."
(Y/N) tilted his head. "What are you-?"
"(Y/N)." Hare's voice called out as she and Marrow arrived.
The boy tucked his tail and wrapped it nervously around his ankle. "Uh oh."
"You okay?" Marrow asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Where's the Sabyr."
"It's...dead." He admitted, getting a glare from Harriet.
"Dead? You were ordered to subdue it!"
"I-,"
Robyn held out her hand, putting herself between Hare and (Y/N).
"Lay off the kid, Mohawk. I'm the one who killed it. Wings here was just keeping it from killing someone."
"Robyn Hills." Hare almost snarled. "Why does it not surprise me you're the one interfering with military work?"
"Well, someone needs to take care of the people down here while you're handling more important matters upstairs. Maybe next time you want a lab rat for your soldiers to play with, don't put it on your newbie while he's protecting people, especially when he's a kid!"
The two women got into each other's faces as Marrow attempted to diffuse the situation.
"Hare, cool it!"
He got a glare from his teammate as Fiona pushed herself between the two.
"Enough. What matters is that everyone is safe. You should be proud. You're new recruit fought amazingly."
"Please don't be mad at him, Ms." The little girl finally spoke up, leaving her father's arms. "He saved us. He wasn't afraid of that monster at all!"
She stared at (Y/N) admiringly, which made the boy a bit flustered. Robyn smirked, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Well, there you have it."
Harriet still looked like she wanted to fight, but was forced to back off. "Marrow, (Y/N), we're leaving."
Marrow followed after her as (Y/N) nodded to Robyn. "Thanks."
She winked at him. "Least I can do. Hope to see you around more, Wings."
He nodded and ran off to join the others.

(Timeskip)

(Y/N) stood on the other side of the desk as General Ironwood looked over the report from the mission, Clover, Harriet, Marrow and Winter standing to the side. Marrow, bless him, insisted on writing the report, so it wasn't too biased against the young dragon.
"It seems you did well down there. Casualties were not suffered and damage was kept to a minimum." (Y/N) let out a silent breath. "However, you did fail to bring the Sabyr back alive."
The boy glanced away as Harriet stepped forward.
"Robyn Hill claimed to have finished it off. One of her bolts was fired at the scene."
Ironwood turned his gaze back on the boy. "Is this true?"
(Y/N) didn't look up. "It was going to hurt someone."
"(Y/N), you had your orders."
"Someone would've died!" He argued. "I couldn't use my lightning Dust or my fire breathing! There was no way I could've kept it under control."
"You should have tried." Harriet scolded.
"I did!"
"Harriet." Clover interjected, making her fall back in line. "General, (Y/N) may have not followed orders, but the circumstances should be considered."
"I agree." Winter said. "He was equipped for a search and destroy mission and the order came in while he was already in an altercation with the target. Changing course would've been difficult for even an experienced soldier, let alone an in-training one with minimal combat experience."
(Y/N) smiled at the two thankfully as the General closed his eyes and nodded. "I suppose that is correct. The nature of the mission should have been agreed upon before you set out. Considering no one was killed, I think we can dismiss this as mostly a success. Good work, (Y/N). Next time, though, stick to your orders."
"...yes, sir." The boy almost whispered.
"The rest of you are dismissed."
"Sir." They all said as they left, leaving the boy and General alone.
"(Y/N), do you know why I insist you follow your orders?" The boy didn't answer. "It is because there has to be order to what we do. Leaving ourselves open is what leads to chaos, to tragedies like Beacon. We have to keep rank and stand firm together."
"Even if people get hurt because of it?" The boy asked.
Ironwood placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can't save everyone, (Y/N). It's a hard lesson, but it's one we all learn. Today was not your fault, but you have to keep your emotions in check."
The boy looked away, maintaining in his own thoughts that he had done the right thing.
Ironwood didn't notice and instead placed two tickets on the desk. "Now, on to a more horrifying topic if you ask me."
(Y/N) tilted his head. "Sir?"
"What do you know about charity functions, (Y/N)?"

Sorry this took a while guys. Writing wholly unique chapters takes a bit more out of me, especially at this time of year. We'll be back on track next time.
Edit: I knew eventually I was gonna mess up and mention the charms early. Thank you to the person who pointed it out.