It's hard to find silence when you're a faunus. Monochrome/Checkmating, one sided or not, interpret it however you want to. This does not have a happy ending.

Angst, warning: mutilation.


Silent

Silence is good. You read in silence, without a distraction, and you can immerse yourself in anything. No one to disturb you, no harsh words to hurt you, no words of kindness to make you lower your guard. You've learnt that people are silent when they fear you. But it's hard to find silence when you're a faunus.

Sometimes people look at you, do a double take, and walk a little further. Sometimes people just stare. But you're used to it. You must be. Months after you finally revealed your ears, people still stare. The world keeps on moving. It's not like their staring changes anything. But when you're with them, it matters.

When you're with her, it matters.

The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company with a Faunus, not just any faunus, but one from the White Fang. Oh, the scandal. Ruby had tried to chase away some annoying reporters, but that was just a temporary solution. It was all your fault. You shouldn't have released the bow in public. You should have kept it on firmer. Tied it tighter, constrict and conceal the proof that you were once a very active member of the largest crime gang.

Apparently what you had done in your childhood had paid off. People knew who you were; one of the youngest members of the White Fang. Blake Belladonna doesn't mean a thing. Your name is worthless; people just see you as the young rebel who grew up. The present doesn't matter as long as your past is big enough to overshadow your current achievements.

And everyone who knows who you are also knows who Weiss is.

A member of an influential family, one who manufactures a large amount of quality dust. One who was attacked ruthlessly by the White Fang years ago. The White Fang tore apart the Schnees' business, leaving one broken daughter, and one resilient father. And now that broken daughter was having some form of interaction with someone, no, something she shouldn't be seeing.

The public was quick to spring to their feet, accusing you and hurling so much abuse. Not just at you, but Weiss. What was she thinking? Sharing a room with the enemy? Letting her family down?

You both stayed in the dorms for a long while, neither one moving or looking at each other. No one spoke, but Weiss cried, and you didn't do anything. Ruby was the one who consoled her, tried to cheer her up. You just sat there, because that was the only thing you could do.

She would be better off without you.

Yang was furious and slapped you for not doing a single thing. You didn't even move, and blinked at her. You couldn't move.

Ruby had dragged Yang out before she could do more, leaving you and Weiss alone. 2 weeks later, the situation had not changed. You still blamed yourself for everything, for releasing that damn bow during the tournament. You blamed yourself for smiling at Weiss, being all palsy with her before the match started. You blamed yourself for feeling more than what you should for a friend.

Not once did she blame you, but she sat facing you, looking at your back. You knew, but you couldn't turn around. You were afraid of what she would do, what she would say. The silence never bothered you anyways.

When you thought that everything had died down, and 1 week later when you finally stepped out, everyone looked at you. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Lie Ren, everyone. They parted automatically, creating a large aisle of shame for you to crawl through. No one said anything, and that was good. Silence was good.

Then someone shouted, and whispers started to multiply, creating such a terrible noise that even without your heightened hearing, you started to buckle. It was too much. You thought you could deal with it, but you couldn't. You crumbled like a puppet with severed strings, and the noise grew heavy, pressing onto you as though it was trying to kill you. As though everyone was trying to kill you.

Weiss was behind you immediately, and you could hear people talking about the both of you again. It was just you at first, and that wasn't as bad as this. You were dragging her down. If you weren't here… If you didn't exist, nothing would have happened to her. You pushed her hands that were reaching for yours away, and the moment you turned to see her eyes for weeks, you regretted it sorely.

She reached out to you, but as usual, you burnt all the bridges, leaving yourself standing alone with a wide chasm surrounding you. This bridge burnt slowly but brilliantly, and you watched as people pushed her away from 'The monster that hit Weiss.'

Yang and Ruby had jumped to your rescue, Team JNPR following shortly, and a huge fight started in the corridor.

All because of you.

No one was hurt physically, but one look at Weiss and anyone could tell that the damage was done. She had forsaken her status, bending down to help you, stripping away her pride. But you clung on to yours like a selfish child. The first interaction in weeks and you blew it. You wondered what she saw in your eyes. In hers you saw hurt and sadness. You wondered what everyone else saw. A victim and a beast? Or did they see two friends torn apart by rumours, harsh words, and society?

But it doesn't matter now.

In the dorm, you were with her. Psychologically distanced, yes, but you had each other. Now you have no one. Even Ruby seemed to be spending less time with you. But that's good, because it's silent. And you found longer and longer periods of silence and emptiness accompanying you.

But the silence filled you with thoughts, and robbed you of logic.

Being a faunus was what caused all of this. And the only proof of your heritage was your ears. The same ears Ruby had touched and called 'cute'. The same ears Blake had rubbed with curiousity, unaware of the effect that had on you. The same ears Weiss had stroked carefully, scratching them and driving shudders up your spine. And that damn girl knew the effect it had on you.

You would let it go, wouldn't you? Let go of whatever was driving you so mad, driving everyone mad, driving Team RWBY to the state it was in.

Those ears of yours always heard more than a normal person. If you were a normal person, you could… you could be seen with Weiss without anyone caring. You could be friends again. You could confess to her and not be afraid anymore.

And you've been silent in this empty dorm for some time, your thoughts chatting with the quietness. Gambol Shroud sits near you, and you wonder how sharp the blade is. Sharp enough to kill, sharp enough to slice, sharp enough to cut?

You pull out the blade, and run it against your wrist to test it. A line of red trails after the black, and you observe the streaks that run down your arm, falling onto the bed, little droplets massing into a messy pool.

It's red, like her collar. You can't continue to dye your sheets with it. That would be like Ruby's cape. You lift Gambol Shroud to your ears. Your detestable ears.

It doesn't hurt as much as you thought it would. The blade cuts into the first one smoothly, and you feel blood running down your face.

You wonder if people will be able to recognize you. Probably not. You start on the second ear, ignoring the bloody patch on the floor. And you close your eyes, knowing that it will be over soon. Gambol Shroud serves its purpose fast, but you regret it as the door opens, and a memory rushs through your head, Weiss's voice echoing clearly.

"BLAKE!"

"Don't ever be ashamed of your beautiful ears."

Everything is quieter now, almost silent.


End

This time I decided to tell things from Blake's point of view, and oh god I hope I didn't go too far with it this time. Please review? You have no idea how much I'll appreciate it!