I Will Rise
Wanda: So, yeah...this is my headcannon for Adam's backstory and Start of Darkness...I, uh, don't have much to say up here except...I hope you like it! Disclaimer, as usual, I do not own RWBY.
Fourteen Years Prior to "Ruby Rose"
The faunus tended to refer to the Second Faunus War was the War For Nothing. The lack of official enslavement was replaced by rules that just barely better than what they had just escaped. Many were still treated as animals by their human counterparts, and safety regulations in dangerous workplaces, such as the Schnee Dust Mines, were often questionable at best. They were still second class citizens, still had to struggle to make themselves heard, and still suffered the worst whenever the Grimm rolled into town.
The sense of despair among the older generation was palpable among their communities. But their children were becoming angry.
The White Fang came into existence three years after the second war ended, hoping to change this for the better. They were often met by animosity from humans, who were still recovering themselves from the aftershocks of the war. Their leader, an old cougar named Theodore, was determined the believe that with enough time and patience, they could change the humans minds.
At this particular moment in time, the White Fang was protesting the conditions of an Atlas Dust Mine, where cave ins were distressingly common. The mine was staffed almost exclusively by Faunus workers and human overseers, lead chiefly by Company Head Sigmund Schnee's brother, Damon.
Every faunus in that community worked in the mine. Even the children.
**~Line Break~**
"Move along, runt! We're on a clock here!"
Adam Taurus gritted his teeth and pushed the gigantic boulder with all his strength. At last, it finally dislodged and fell aside, creating a small entrance into the tunnel that had collapsed two days prior. Gasping, the young bull faunus slid to the side, clutching his aching wrists while trying to regain his breath.
The overseer, a huge man with a whip and a permanently smug expression stepped over him and looked into the tunnel. "Much better. Keep this up and I might promote you from animal to half a human. Now get a rope! Better pay is waiting!"
Adam hissed in pain as the overseer kicked his leg on the way back, agitating the sprain he had gotten while digging yesterday. Leaning against the wall, he got to his feet and almost collapsed as pain shot through his ankle.
A hand grabbed his wrist and helped him steady himself. "Adam, you're pushing yourself too hard.."
Adam twisted his head to the right and met the worried blue eyes of a familiar deer faunus. Evening Sky, or just 'Eve' to him, looked pleadingly at him. "Take a rest. If you keep stressing your ankle like this, you might not be able to walk properly again..."
He shook his head harshly. "If I stop for too long, the pay gets docked. You know we can't afford that."
Eve's expression fell, which made Adam feel a little guilty. She was his only real friend in the mines, except for his mother and his old man, who didn't count – they were required to care about him. While he didn't often say it aloud, Adam often relied heavily on her support to keep his spirits up. "I'm worried about you, Adam..."
"I know...it's just-"
"What is the HOLDUP!" Both children flinched when the overseer bellowed at them. Eve immediately dropped to her knees to get their pickaxes. "Get moving, you animals! The Dust shipments need to be prepared for the end of the month!"
"J-Just lean on me, okay? I'll help you..." Eve said pleadingly as they strapped in and started to lower themselves into the all consuming darkness of the tunnel.
Adam frowned. "It's fine, Eve. I can handle it." The last thing he wanted was to be weak right now. He had to be strong, for her and for his mother. That's the only way they could get by in this place.
Eve didn't say anything else, but her glowing eyes reflected her worry as they descended further.
They spent the rest of the day going further and further into the tunnel. The walls were constantly shaking from demolition going on above; Eve flinched every time, looking up above. If there was a cave in now, they would definitely be buried alive. The air was thick with dust, making it difficult to breathe.
Adam managed his quota, and then more when Eve fell behind. She was gentler and weaker, so she often fell behind and didn't get the money and food she needed. He worked over time for her so that wouldn't happen as often.
Eve felt her bucket becoming heavier just before they were pulled out by the supervisor. She shot Adam a quick look after handing it over; her friend just grinned slightly and shook his head. Eve pressed a hand against her heart and smiled back.
They fell into the line for dinner...the older faunus had to stay out for another two hours, since they could handle more work, so Adam's parents couldn't join them. Adam strained his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of them in the dark. He spotted his mother being shoved by one of the overseers, who was swearing a blue streak about the lack of productivity.
Adam's shoulders tensed. Eve saw it and grabbed his hand. "Adam, please...you can't help her, and she wouldn't want you to get hurt..."
The boy growled but acknowledged the wisdom of her words. Together they exited the mine, even the late setting sun hurt their eyes after rising out of the permanent darkness. They were lead into a side house where they were given their meager dinner.
%*$*#*%*^*%*$*#* *
Adam remained awake until his parents returned to join him. He sat up against the wall, staring at the torches and tapping his aching foot against the floor to keep himself awake.
His mother emerged first; her face was covered in soot and her hands were scratched up from the hard labour. Her tired expression lit up when she saw him; she ran over and ignored her hands in order to fuss over him
"Adam, your ankle...! you're going to break it at this rate," She worried, gently wrapping it in torn strips from her clothes.
His father glanced over at Eve, who was asleep in the corner with her two siblings. Then he sighed and sat down next to his son. "Adam, I know you care about her. But if you keep trying to do the work of two you're going to kill yourself."
"What am I supposed to do?" Adam asked waspishly. "Just let her suffer?"
His father shook his head quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. Killing yourself won't help her either...or us."
"Jacob..." His mother said reproachfully, giving Adam a tender hug. "My brave little boy. You're going to grow up to be something very special. Never loose sight of that strength you have."
"I won't, mom.." Adam promised quietly.
His mother sang a lullaby and eventually got him to fall asleep. Jacob shed his coat and put it on Adam's shoulders before standing up and starting to walk away.
"Jacob, it's too dangerous," His wife whispered. They had been arguing back and forth on this for several days. "What if you're caught?"
Jacob turned around and sadly regarded his beloved wife. She had been bright and full of life when they met, always smiling and lightning his heart. Now she was starving, battered and hopeless, and it killed him every day to see her and their son struggling so much. "Leah, if we stay here, we're going to die either way. We have to take a chance!"
"But the White Fang's protests are still gaining ground. Anne told us that when we last saw her, and she swore she wouldn't give up on us. If we just wait a little longer-"
Leah's face fell when she saw her husband's expression. "You're not going to Theodore, are you. You've been talking to him."
Jacob's fists clenched. "...Yes. He promised he and his men could get us out. Think about it, Leah! Do you really want our son to grow up in here?"
"He doesn't want peace between humans and faunus! He wants another war!" Leah hissed. "Is that the future we want for our children?!"
"Our children won't have a future if the Schnee family get their way!" Jacob exploded, nearly waking Eve. The two parents watched the girl and her brothers uneasily for a moment, but the stirring was simply her turning over in her sleep.
Leah flinched and leaned back against the wall, clutching Adam's hand. Jacob looked down at his feet, regretting his outburst. "It's the only way, Leah. Believe me, I wouldn't..."
"I want to believe you," Leah said softly, "But I don't want you to end up like him while trying to 'even the ground'. Please, stay the man I fell in love with."
Jacob smiled weakly. "I'm trying to, Leah...I am...but I've gotten so tired...this is all I can think of..."
Leah hung her head slightly; she knew she couldn't convince him. "Just...just be careful, please..."
**~The Next Day~**
"Where the hell is that rat?"
Adam looked up sharply from the rocks in front of him, staring across the mine. Eve saw what he saw and tried to grab his arm to stop him, but he slipped away from her, making his way across the stone.
His father's escape had not gone unnoticed. Two of the overseers, one of them Damon Schnee himself, here to oversee production, were menacing Leah with batons. The skinny woman just shook her head helplessly. "I don't know anything, I swear."
"He did not just disappear!" Damon thundered, raising the baton over his head for a strike. Leah shut her eyes.
Adam finally crossed the distance and shoved Damon's hand away before he could hit his mother. "Stay away from her!"
The overseer kicked him into a wall. Leah cried out in distress, hurrying over to her son and shielding him with her body as the angered men stalked towards them.
"Ungrateful little animals...we give you work, and this how you thank us?" Damon growled, glaring down at the family. Adam glared up at him. Squirming out from under Leah's protective embrace, he lunged forward and struck the older Schnee, augmented by his awakening aura. The Schnee stumbled backwards, cursing in pain while the overseer dragged Adam aside. Leah screamed desperately as she reached out for her son.
Eve had scrambled across the mine, frightened. As the overseer trashed her friend, she jumped up and grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him away. Snarling ,the man turned around and swung the baton in a wide arc. It struck the girl on the side of the head and sent her into a wall.
A terrible crack echoed through Adam's ears. He looked up to see Eve lying unmoving on the ground, blood staining her hair and broken antler. Damon was cursing at the overseer, "You imbecile! That's one of our damned workers!", hitting the overseer over the head. "I didn't hit her that hard!' the man protested but she still wasn't moving...
Adam limped over to Eve's body and gently touched her face; her skin was cooling and he couldn't feel her breathing. Gently he shook her shoulder; she still didn't respond and he knew she was gone. Shakily he raised his hand, her blood staining his palm and fingers following a roaring in his ears...
An explosion rocked the mine, except this time it came from the entrance. Faunus exploded in, armed with guns and weapons of all kinds. Damon grabbed his own weapon and made his own escape, while Jacob emerged from the crowd of splinter faction White Fang to find his wife.
Adam knelt next to Eve, unseeing and unhearing; Jacob had to pull him away. A spark had come to life deep in Adam's chest; it wouldn't take much more to turn it into a raging wildfire. His mother noticed this...and so did Sebastian Lux.
**~Elsewhere~**
"Adam? Say something to me, please..."
Adam didn't react to Leah's gentle prodding; the bull faunus was getting increasingly worried and scared for him. She had always had a talent for seeing other people's thoughts in their eyes, and when she looked at her son now all she saw was rage on a low burn...
She saw this same look in the eyes of other Faunus who had brought them to this place. People hardened with hatred, who had killed humans to change their place in the world. Leah was terrified of the idea that Adam might end up like them, consumed by this need for revenge.
"Adam-"
"Leah!"
Leah was distracted at the sound of Anne Belladonna's voice. The cat faunus was rushing over to her friend; Leah allowed herself to smile for the first time in a long time when she embraced the other girl. "Anne, I didn't think you'd be here..."
"I wasn't' expecting to be either, but Theodore heard about Sebastian's movement and wanted to prevent things from getting out of hand...obviously we didn't get here fast enough for that, but I wanted to make sure you, Jacob and Adam were okay..."
"We'll get by," Leah said, though her voice fell when she looked back at her son, "But I'm worried about Adam..."
Adam looked up at the two women for the first time, eyes blank, giving no indication he was annoyed by this discussing him this way when he was right next to them. Anne looked down at him, her expression shifting from happiness to concern very quickly. "Oh, Adam...what happened?"
"There was...Adam tried to protect me from one of the overseers...they attacked him, his friend, a girl named Eve, she tried to hold one of them back. He threw her into a wall and she died...Adam hasn't said a single word to me since then, that was three days ago..."
Anne's eyes softened with horror. "I'm so sorry...I'm sorry, Leah, we didn't work fast enough. If we'd had a bit more support, we could have stopped this..."
Leah shook her head, "Don't blame yourself Anne...you were doing everything you could..."
Adam got up and started to walk outside, ignoring the women calling after him...all he could focus on was the blood staining his hand and the hot rage inside his chest. He wandered through the snow aimlessly, staying just out of the way of White Fang members who were doing patrol. He could hear them whispering about him, mostly curious while some suggested he would make a good member when he got older...
Adam payed them no mind. He came to a stop in the middle of a clearing further from the camp and looked down at his hands, still stained with Eve's blood. Her dead body flashed in front of him whenever he closed his eyes. He was never going to see her again...
Unknown to him, his aura was responding to his emotions, and that had caught the eye of the leader of this splinter faction...
"Hey, kid. You're being very unsociable."
Adam started and turned around. Standing in front of him was a massive wolf faunus, taller than anyone he'd seen before – even his father. The man was grizzled and his arms and face were covered in scars. One of his eyes was white and slashed over. The other was an icy blue like a frozen over lake. He had messy grey hair, his ears sticking up from the middle of them, one of which was mangled. He was dressed in a black version of the White Fang uniform, with blood red clawmarks running across the chest and back of it. His aura seemed to glow around him, a pitch black gleam that added to his intimidating presence.
"I can sense a lot of angst there, kid. That blood yours or a friends?"
"...It's Eve's." Adam admitted, feeling like he should tell the truth. The man in front of him must be important; he'd seen the rest of the White Fang deferring to him when they first made it to camp.
"Girlfriend, then?" The man asked tactlessly.
Adam glared up at him, despite the fact that man was more than twice his size. "Don't talk about her like that." Eve had been important to him, and he wouldn't let anyone mock that.
He half expected to get hit again, but the man threw back his head and laughed, placing a massive hand on his shoulder. The force nearly knocked Adam over, but he kept himself on his feet, which seemed to please the man more. "You've got spirit, kid! So those human scum didn't manage to beat it out of you. That's a good thing, kid. Hold onto it. You're gonna be needing it."
"...Who are you?"
"Sebastian Lux." The man said with a grin. "This is my division of the White Fang, and someday soon I hope to be running the whole pack. What's your name, kid?"
"...Adam."
"I hear you managed to stab that Schnee bastard in the leg before the overseer got to your friend. That takes guts." Sebastian went on, squeezing Adam's shoulder to the point where it hurt. The young faunus refused to make an outcry however, determined to remain strong in front of this person. "You've got the right impression."
"...My mom says the White Fang don't stand for that." Adam asked curiously.
Sebastian snorted. "And a whole lotta good that did them. Take a look at Belladonna – good lady, smart lady." He pointed a massive finger back towards the camp. Adam saw his mother's friend kneeling in the snow, entertaining a small girl who, going by appearance, was most likely her daughter. "She's also completely wasting all that righteous fury of hers on public speaking." He contemptuously spat on the ground. "As if humans are actually going to listen to her! People like them never change – not unless they have to."
He spun Adam around to face him; kneeling in the snow, Sebastian met Adam's eyes evenly from the same height. "I might have cracked a joke about your friend, but I know all about that. I lost my girl the same day I lost my eye, during the war. All that pointless death, and Theodore still thinks that we should placate the humans instead of ensuring they can never massacre us like that again. He thought like that, and he didn't get there in time to save your girl. If you leave this camp tomorrow kid, remember this – meet those scum with the violence they deserve. It's the only way they'll learn."
"Sebastian!"
Sebastian rose from the ground while Adam silently processed and contemplated what he had been told; his parents were running over with Anne and another older man in tow. The cougar faunus was easily recognized from TV – this was Theodore.
"What are you telling my son, Sebastian?!" Leah demanded, storming up to the much bigger man. "I swear to Oum if you're trying to recruit him-!"
"Leah!" Jacob hissed, pulling his wife back.
Sebastian laughed. "Aw, be nice Miss Taurus. I was just lending a sympathetic ear. Of course, if I'd gotten permission to leave a day earlier, we might have had a more pleasant conversation -" He shot Theodore a cold look, his one remaining eye sharp and pitiless.
"I wanted to prevent more pointless loss of life, Sebastian." Theodore said reproachfully.
"Well, the dead faun girl says you failed." Sebastian noted.
"Sebastian-" Theodore warned, his hand slipping down to his weapon. Sebastian didn't look even slight intimidated by this; he snorted mockingly before turning his head to the right.
"We should move camp. Schnee will have a private army out looking for us."
"We're waiting to speak with the Atlas delegation. I'm sure-"
"You're a fool if you believe that Theodore." Sebastian said scornfully. "Schnee won't let this go unanswered. I promise you that whoever's here to meet you tomorrow will be armed. The question is, will we be?"
"Is violence the only answer you see for anything now, Sebastian?" Theodore was wearily, looking up into his once's friends' cold eyes.
"The better question is, how many dead faunus bodies are going to pile up before you realize it's necessary?" Sebastian retorted coldly, before turning on his heel.
He cast one last glance at Adam and gave him a knowing wink. "Catch you later, kid." Leah snarled a curse at his retreating back while Anne mostly looked concerned.
Theodore looked down at Adam. "Did he ask you to join, child?"
"...I was going to ask him," Adam responded, to his mother's dismay. "But I guess I'm too young."
He then started after Sebastian, back into the village. After a little while, his mother caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Adam, what did he talk to you about?"
Adam spun around and glared at her. "Why do you care?! You're the one who doesn't want to get justice for Eve!"
Leah stepped back, hurt. "That's not fair, Adam. Of course I want to get justice for her – but real justice! Not revenge!"
"What's the difference?" Adam asked spitefully.
Leah's expression became sad and pleading. "Oh Adam, please listen to me. Revenge will cost you part of your soul. It won't bring Eve back, and it won't make you feel any better."
"You don't know that." Adam said, though his heart wavered slightly at his mother's sad eyes. "You want me to just let Eve be murdered for nothing?"
Leah's only response was to sob and pull Adam into a hug. He resisted her for a moment, but her cries made him feel guilty, and he returned the hug as best he could. "I'm sorry, mom. ...I didn't mean it."
"I'm sorry too, Adam. If – if I could have saved her, I would have..."
**~Later~**
Adam was staying in a tent next to Anne's, and his thoughts were currently on her daughter Blake. She was cute, he supposed, and the only person in camp who was really cheerful. She had latched onto him, and made it her mission to get a smile out of him. He indulged her, partly because he didn't want to crush her cheeriness, and partly because his parents encouraged it, hoping it would distract him from his brooding.
His mind went back to the day. Sebastian had pulled out half the standing White Fang after his disagreement with Theodore about the approaching 'delegation' went public. Most of them volunteered to follow him, which Adam saw distressed the old founder quite a bit.
Adam half wished he had gone with them; he liked Sebastian's confidence, how the older man spoke to his soul, his grief and anger about Eve's death, the way he understood it in a way Theodore and his mother refused to.
But he couldn't bring himself to leave his parents or little Blake behind, so he had stayed.
In the middle of the night, he heard fire cackling and screams in the distance. Abruptly Sebastian's words rang in his head, You're a fool if you believe they'll come unarmed. Immediately getting to his feet, Adam threw on his coat and picked up the massive 'gift' sword that had been left for him.
His mother had tried to get rid of it when she first found it, cursing Sebastian all along (she didn't think it could have come from anyone else), but Adam had simply waited for her to get distracted before retrieving it from the creek. He thought he would need it.
As it turns out, he was right.
Adam emerged from the tent to find mercenaries attacking the outpost. While most of them were plainclothes, some of them were using weapons with an unmistakable design. Schnee. Sebastian was right...
Faunus were cut down left and right; few of them had been armed, but the force still killed without mercy. It was a massacre, nothing else.
As Adam looked into the crowd, he saw his mother and Anne both cut down when they tried to escape. He cried out for her, knowing in his heart it was useless, and when she didn't react a part of him splintered off and was destroyed.
His father saw it and ran to her body, holding her for a long minute before grabbing a gun and returning fire. He got several of them before being shot down himself.
Adam tried to go to them, but one of the White Fang pushed him back. "Know when to pick your battles kid!"
Adam's only response was an incoherent scream of rage that echoed across the plain, heard by everyone there that night. A cry of loss. A scream that promised retribution. A voice that sent shudders down the spine of all who heard it.
Then he fled into the forest alone.
**~Elsewhere~**
Adam wandered through the wood for a long time. The fire and the shooting had vanished into the air a while ago, he had lost all sense of time shortly after leaving. All he could think about were his parents, dead in the snow.
He thought about his mother, so determined to believe the humans could join them peacefully, and they shot her through the heart and left her body out to rot...there was Anne, his father, their only crime was wanting to live decent, happy lives. Anne wanted a better world for her only child, and now all those dreams were bleeding out into the snow...
They had been killed without a second thought. Most of them were unarmed. Killed for daring to want more...
All Adam could feel was the hot spikes of rage thrumming through his heart, consuming his entire being, raging in his eyes which blurred over from tears. His entire body burned in spite of the cold. His grief had run out, now all that he had was his new found hatred.
Eventually in his wanderings Adam stumbled across an Ursa; wounded at the leg but no less dangerous. The creature snarled at him and lunged, intending to smash him to pieces under its massive paws.
Adam glared back at it, and when it came close he unsheathed his sword and activated his Semblance for the first time in his life. The blast of red light tore the monster in half from its torso, dissolving most of the remains into rose petals. Its two companions, upon seeing this demonstration (even seasoned Hunters couldn't rip one of them in half that way) turned and fled.
Using that much power left Adam dizzy, and he drove the tip of the sword into the ground and leaned on it to maintain his balance. His vision swam, but part of him was elated...he had killed it! He was strong! He could take it back...
Still dazed, Adam looked down and was surprised to see it...part of the Ursa's skull had remained behind after it disintegrated...part of its face...the face of a monster...
Adam blinked...and then smiled, even as tears were still falling down his face...he had an idea...
Kneeling in the cold snow, he wrenched the skull plate out of the ground...using his sword, he cut and crafted it to fit his face, drawing lines and designs on it, shaping it so it would cover his eyes and part of his cheeks. So it would hide his eyes, his loss, his grief, any 'humanity' he might still possess after having been so brutally destroyed.
Lifting his handiwork off the ground, Adam chuckled to himself. It was perfect; the humans looked at him like he was just a monster so why not play the part? He could show them how vicious a monster could really be...
He slid the mask over his eyes and clasped it together. He stood up straight then, picking up his sword, and turned around, following his footprints back to where the camp had been.
A mission was forming in his mind, twisted by grief and the overwhelming hatred he was experiencing.
Had he been a human child, psychiatrists would have looked at him in alarm, said that he was experiencing a psychotic break; they would insist that he needed treatment.
But Adam Taurus was not a human. So he was seeking his own absolution, aimed at the ones responsible for orchestrating his suffering.
**~Elsewhere~**
It took him several days of travelling, following the convoy in secret, stealing maps and threatening a drunken mercenary, but eventually Adam found himself standing outside the Schnee's mansion. The building was huge and disgustingly gaudy, flaunting its wealth to anyone who looked at it.
Adam thought about the miserable houses just outside the mine, Eve sleeping on the hard stone floor having given her blankets to her brothers, and the rage inside him spiked again...drawing his sword, he made his way to the mansion.
Outwitting the guards was pitifully easy...they couldn't see in the dark the way he could...he climbed a tree, forced a window open and slipped inside...
The first bedroom he found was a girl his age...Adam knew vaguely that Sigmund Schnee had two daughters...she was sleeping, peaceful and comfortable, smiling to herself. It was a nice scene...In another lifetime, he might have even found her attractive...
For a moment, perhaps longer than he would have liked to admit, Adam contemplated incorporating her into his revenge, her and her little sister...so he could teach Sigmund real suffering...but as he walked past her bed, he ultimately dismissed it, finding his hands unwilling to carry it out.
Besides, his other targets were still here...there was no need for superfluous deaths...the longer he stayed, the more he risked getting caught...
So Adam left her room without waking her. Next to her room was her younger sisters...and Adam couldn't have been more surprised to see who else was lying on the floor in a spare room.
It was Blake...! What in Oum's name did the Schnees want with her? Some sort of publicity stunt? A gracious adoption to deflect away criticisms they might receive for the murders they had just committed? Adam was incensed at the thought; to use her like that after killing her mother.
Quietly he decided, after he had killed them, he would come back this way and get her...he'd failed to protect Eve, he'd lost his parents...but perhaps he'd be able to keep this one cat girl safe...
Stepping up his speed, Adam made his way down the hall to the room where Damon and his wife were staying. Them first.
The woman was lying asleep in bed; it was too easy. Damon wasn't there, having stepped out to the bathroom.
Adam simply walked over to her side, drew his sword and slit her throat...the rage boiling in his veins made it easier...she choked for a minute, his hand muffling her cry, until the light went out of her eyes.
Pulling the sheet over her head, Adam ducked and slid under the bed so he could catch Damon by surprise...after all, the man had some Hunter training, and he was still half the bastard's age and size. He didn't have to wait long; Damon returned and sleepily called his wife's name. Adam pressed his stomach against the floor, his rage building at the man's voice...he had been the one to order the massacre...
Tired and wondering why his wife wasn't answering him, Damon pulled the cover back...only to find the silk sheets soaked with blood, the woman staring blankly at the ceiling. Before he could cry out in horror, something struck his legs and knocked him over. Blindly he grabbed a knife from the bedside and thrashed it in the air; the snarl of pain surprised him – his attacker was a child-?!
He didn't have much time to contemplate it; the longsword stabbed his leg and several punches to the face silenced his cries for help. Damon landed on his back when the small black figure pounced and pinned his neck with one boot.
It was a child...a faunus boy...wearing the skull of an Ursa on his face, the red lines gleaming in the dark...his hands and sleeves were soaked with blood, as was the sword he raised above his head. Damon couldn't see the boy's eyes, but the mad smile on his face spoke of a rage and that his death had been plotted without rest for the long time.
"Remember me?!" The boy snarled before driving the massive sword into Damon's chest.
Damon coughed up blood, mind reeling with pain...in his weakened state, he stared back at his attacker...slowly, he did remember, that faunus wretch who had brought the White Fang to his brother's mine had had a son, the volatile boy who had tried to protect his mother. The boy who was now twisting the knife in his chest, grinning madly, looking for all the world like he was becoming a Grimm in front of his victim's eyes.
"Y-You," He choked, before his vision blurred and began to go black. "Y-You...y-ou k-kill..."
Adam's grin widened. The mask seemed to glow red in the darkness. "Greet hell for me.." Finally he tore the blade out. Blood erupted like a gyser from the body, spraying across his face and chest...
Adam found himself laughing quietly to himself...a dizzying, confused mixture of feelings overtaking him like flood water...he'd killed a man...he's avenged them...there was blood everywhere...justice has been served!
Getting up, he turned to the door, hearing padding footsteps on the stairs. Sure enough, Sigmund's wife Willow emerged from the stairwell. "What's all that thumping about...?" She complained, still half asleep, "Or do I not want to know...?"
Adam stood up shakily, emotions running wild. He could do it again...just her, then Sigmund, one final killing...he'd never killed anyone before now, was it supposed to feel like this...? What was that small feeling of wrong? Or was he imagining it?
He stood at baited breath, staring at the door which was only open by a sliver, waiting...Willow Schnee stared at it for a long moment before muttering, "I'll leave you two alone..." before heading off to the bathroom.
Adam thought about chasing her. As he moved forward, he accidentally kicked the stand, and a box of matches fell onto the ground in front of him. Adam tilted his head slightly and stared...that gave him an idea...
Grabbing the box, he scouted out the large room until he found a gas pipe. Smashing it open, Adam let a match and threw it at the broken pipe. The force of the explosion surprised him and threw him backwards – his aura protected him from the fall, though he had the wind knocked out of him for a few seconds. He looked up and grinned...fire was spreading through the room.
Stepping out of the room, Adam came face to face with Willow. The woman stared at the blood covered, sword wielding faunus boy, stared over his shoulder into the fire illuminated room, and screamed.
That made the decision for Adam...if he stayed now, he'd get caught...so instead he threw the knife at her, slashing her shoulder open as she fled but not causing her severe injury. The hall clear, he bolted forward, running to Blake's room...
He knelt down next to the small girl and shook her awake. She blinked three times, her eyes red from crying, and looked up at him with surprise, confusion, fear and a shred of hope. "Adam?"
"Yeah, it's me. Hold on." Adam said encouragingly, picking Blake up and holding her against his bloodstained chest. Blake was scared to see her friend covered in blood, but she was willing to trust him so she leaned into his arms as he bolted for the nearest window and jumped out...
The last place Willow saw that faunus boy was standing in her daughter Winter's bedroom, that bloody sword strapped to his hip. He cast a final look at her, eyes hidden by a grimm's mask, before vanishing into the night.
Winter wasn't hurt. But that memory was staying with Willow until the day she died, and it hardened her heart until she was even more like her husband – cold and hateful.
**~Elsewhere~**
Adam walked until the slash wound on his arm, courtesy of Damon Schnee, became to painful to ignore. His mind was completely elsewhere, even as he cradled Blake and tried to comfort her as she cried in panic about the blood all over him.
Where am I? ... ...What have I done?
His emotions were rioting, rage mixing with uncertainty, confusion and pain, the same pain he'd felt when he first realized his parents were dead.
"It won't make you feel any better..." His mother warned him distantly. Adam hissed as Blake poked his injured arm, pleading with him to do something about it. He couldn't stop until he'd gotten her some place safe. Blake was innocent and he couldn't let the people chasing him get her; she'd end up in the same places he had longed to escape...
As luck would have it, Adam didn't have to walk much further. A triad of White Fang members encountered him on the road, packed him and Blake into their car, and lost the following law enforcement in the forests they called home.
Adam's arm was bound and the three members brought them into the heart of the camp. The young bull faunus felt his heart skip when he found Sebastian Lux waiting for them.
"Gimmdamnit kid," Sebastian said, sounding impressed as he looked down at the black clad, blood cacked boy who was stoically holding a sleeping little girl in his arms, refusing to let anyone separate them. When he had seen the Taurus boy first, he had recognized the kid could be something quite special, but this? He hadn't expected this. "We figured you'd been wiped out along with your folks at the sight. We've you been?"
"...Visiting the Schnees." Adam admitted. The White Fang gathered around him burst into astonished whispers at that.
"Visit-?" Sebastian caught on quickly. "The radio was going berserk about something putting that bastard Damon in the dirt where he belongs. That was you?"
Adam nodded, unable to speak. He wasn't sure if he was feeling relief, or shame.
Sebastian, however, was completely sure of how that made him feel. "HAIL TO THE KING!" He bellowed, getting the attention of every faunus in the area. "This kid, here, he's taken a leap we've struggled for years to achieve. HE PUT DOWN A SCHNEE!"
Sebastian beamed proudly down at Adam. "I knew you were something special, kid. You have no idea how many lives you've just saved. When they calls the media, they're going to realize what a sick son of a bitch he was, and not even Schnee can bury that. People will be able to flee! They'll be able to RISE UP! And it's all thanks to you!"
Swinging his massive hand around the clearing, Sebastian roared, "Let's hear it for Adam Taurus! Striking a blow for Faunus everywhere!"
The White Fang exploded into noise, chanting Adam's name and calling him a hero. Adam was overwhelmed, looking from side to side as the cheering, worshipful crowd. Sebastian put a heavy hand on his shoulder and grinned.
"Your folks can rest easy now, kid." He said with utter certainty. "They're probably prouder of you than they've ever been before, knowing you've avenged them."
Adam nodded slowly.
"The White Fang needs more people with your guts." Sebastian said. "Listen, kid. I can train you, make you the greatest fighter the world's ever seen. Then together, we can end this once and for all. How does that sound to you? Think you can be a leader for these people?"
Adam blinked once, twice, and then nodded. "Yeah. I think I can do that." He said quietly.
Sebastian's grin widened, and he roughly tousled Adam's hair. "Welcome to the White Fang, Taurus."
End
Bloodbath (anti?) villain origin...I imagine Blake served to anchor Adam somewhat. I think he's someone who's been angry for so long he doesn't know how to stop anymore...so when she left him, the only good thing he ever really had, he went further off the deep end...which is in no way her fault!, I DO believe Adam genuinely cared about her at one point in spite of what he's become by "Heroes and Monsters".
It simply added to their mutual tragedy...
Read and Review please!