Start of the Search!

"What I'm about to tell you is a very well-guarded secret... You cannot tell anyone else about what happens here today... Not even your family or closest friends or subordinates... James also knew this secret..." Ozpin goes on to tell General Winter Schnee the dark secrets of this shadow war.

"Oh lovely... This is going to come back to haunt you Ozma..." Exu appears as if she is a ghost.

"you!" Winter unsheathes her rapier and charges at Exu who deflects her blade with her pistol and then kicked her in the gut hard enough that Winter coughed up blood.

"I Suggest listening to Ozma... He can tell you about my contract with him... Also... You are too weak to stand up to me... Next time I will blow your arm off... it will be a constant reminder to not fuck with me..." Exu sends a lifeless gaze at Glynda making said woman send a fierce glare at Exusiai while clenching her cybernetic hand tightly.

Exu's blow was heavy as it was fast... It shattered Winter's Aura and caused some minor internal damage making the newly minted general of the Atlesian military glare at Exusiai.

"You murdering Psychopath!" Winter shakily stands up and her gaze faltered at the lifeless gaze.

'Damn monster...' was what both Glynda and Winter were thinking.

'If they think Exu is a monster they clearly haven't come face to face with Salem... And I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone least of all this wronged child who was in direct contact with...' Ozpin gulps his Starbucks coffee and sighs contentedly before shaking his head.

"Enough... Back on topic... Will you join me, Winter?" Ozpin holds his hand out.

"Make that monster leave then I will..." Winter glares at Exu who sends a lifeless gaze back at her.

"Very well..." Exu nods at his words and disappears into thin air.

///

Exu is nodding off clearly sleep-deprived and is doing research on the computer. Ruby is spying on Exu and finally finds out that Sapphire is Exusiai when the cloaking device runs out of energy. Exu.exe has crashed and she slides off the chair unconscious.

"Exusiai!" Ruby yells and catches her cousin in her arms and then looks around and sees faces filled with horror and one face filled with so much hatred it drips bloodlust.

'Have to get her out of here!' Ruby carries Exu back to her dorm and is using her semblance to increase her speed.

///

"..." Yang sees the limp body of Exusiai and rushes up to check her pulse and sees its faint sighs of exhaustion and dehydration.

"Ugh... Put me... down... Or... I'll... Kill you..." Exu says weakly pointing a .44 magnum at Ruby but then drops the gun on the ground falling back to sleep.

'Ugh... I've been doing so many missions that I haven't taken care of my health...' Exu wakes up in the same bed as Ruby.

"Stop... I just need some time alone right now..." Exu keeps her distance from her team.

Exu gets dressed... "Something is clearly very wrong with me... I cannot possibly be of any use right now... I'm really not worth anything if I'm not able to fight and kill..." Exu turns around to see Yang smiling.

Yang grabs Exu by the shirt and drags her to the cafeteria

"Uh... What the... Hey! Let go! What's happening? Stop that! Xiao Long! Are you listening to me!? Hey, what is going on with you!?" Exu has finally been dragged to the cafeteria and looks down at the plate of food that Yang got her.

"You need to eat..." Yang glares at Exu with Red Eyes.

"No thanks... I'm not that hungry..." Exu says in a low voice.

"I said eat!" Yang yells at Exu.

"Sure... Fine..." Exu takes a spoonful of grits and eats them.

"Ugh... Finally... If you eat regularly you wouldn't be so preoccupied with negative thoughts..." Yang smirks at Exu.

"I'm just a killer... A murderer... A killing machine... What you are doing is pointless... I can get by fine with nutrient paste..." Exu sends a gaze full of darkness and malice at Yang.

"Oh right like that has helped you! You have been eating nothing but paste full of nutrients and small bottles of water! Look at what you've done to yourself!" Yang pushes Exu off the table and Exu sends a lifeless gaze at Yang who gasped at what she just did.

Exu shakes her head and gets up and disappeared into thin air leaving Yang who keeps cursing herself.

///

"What the fuck have I done! I'm so stupid!" Yang kicks the table breaking it in two. Yang runs after Exu searching for her all around campus and finally takes a bullhead to Vale.

///

"Uncle Qrow! I saw Exu she is my teammate that goes by Sapphire! I need to find her!" Yang catches her breath and sees Qrow drop the Vale Ghoul Manga with a face of shock mixed with sorrow.

'All this time she has been hiding in plain sight... Right where nobody would suspect she would be...' Qrow bites his lip drawing blood.

"Alright, kiddo... I know a few places she would normally be at... First stop Junior's..." Qrow and Yang rush to the shady side of town toward Junior's nightclub.