Soulmate AU: Conscientious.
The voice in her head was acting up again.
Blake sighed an… Extremely long sigh. The voice- which was ever so squeaky and quieter than Blake herself- had some advice for her that had to be the most stupid thing she had ever heard.
'Maybe this is a bad idea.'
It wasn't a bad idea- she was sure of it. Blake cuffed herself in the head, sighing as people in the airship bay giggled at her. They all knew why she had done it- It was the voice of her soulmate- the voice that she had conversed with ever since she could talk.
But given that it was a stupid voice: she had elected to ignore it.
'I mean, that's a pretty big airship. Probably heavy, too. How is something like that even supposed to fly?'
"Can you just shut up?" She muttered, gripping her own wrist in frustration.
'Er, not really, no.'
The issue with this, was that the voice and that her conscience derived itself from was also the source of her conscience's… Conscience.
While it was a difficult notion to explain, it was in actuality very simple.
Her conscience could actually talk.
And for whatever reason, despite how well she knew its mannerisms, it didn't actually have any knowledge- aside from what Blake herself knew. She couldn't ask it his name, where he lived, or even what color his hair was.
And despite how often she became frustrated with her conscience…
She couldn't help but want to meet him.
'Can we please just walk to Beacon? That airship is going to be shaking the entire time!'
Even if he gave her motion sickness.
RWBY
'You do realize Beacon is on a cliff, right?'
Jaune whimpered, pulling his hoodie a little bit tighter over his head.
'I mean, I know. So obviously you have to as well.'
His more logical half certainly made sense. He just wished she didn't.
'It's just… such a long ride. That's all.'
'And that's why you want to walk there?'
Okay… maybe he hadn't entirely thought that through. But it would be better than taking some rickety old public transport.
'The airship takes off in ten minutes, Jaune.'
Right.
Jaune bumped into a tall, red haired boy on his way into the airship bay. The monster of a teen turned on him, scowling. Jaune laughed nervously, sputtering out apologies and swerving around the man.
'As if you couldn't have taken him… That brute is probably slower in combat than you are in a social situation.'
'Thanks…'
If only his conscience could give him more self-esteem.
Though, he had to admit, the snarky- somewhat quiet- voice in his head had certainly grown on him. It only served to reassure him that his soulmate was out there somewhere. It wasn't as if the voice in his head was sentient though, it was just a projection of his soulmate's own outlook on life. Although she seemed to be a bit of a downer… He was sure it was part of her charm. After all, his mom always told him that people didn't always have it as easy as he did.
'Which is why you're going to Beacon.' The voice reminded him.
"Right…" He muttered. "Beacon."
He ambled aboard the airship, breathing a little heavily. He sat down on a bench, and put his head in his hands, balancing his elbows on his knees.
For once, his conscience left him alone for a while.
RWBY
It was strange- Blake thought- that her conscience was so quiet. Usually her more timid side was obnoxious during airship rides, objecting the entire way, and causing her to feel nauseous. For once, though, it was completely quiet. Her mind was filled only with her own thoughts.
She disliked the feeling.
She had discovered the voice inside her head around the time she could comprehend speech- which meant he had to be her age, or at least close enough. As they both grew, and their vocabularies as well, Blake came to depend on her conscience- He balanced her out. She was quiet, rash, and had a short temper. Her other half was opinionated, timid, and shied away from confrontation, vying to please all involved parties.
During her relationship with Adam, he had insisted that neither of them actually needed soulmates. They were soldiers of change, and they could only rely on each other.
And for a while- Blake might have believed that.
But her conscience was always there, reminding her that she wasn't a soldier, she was someone who wanted equality.
Violence only begot violence, and all that.
So Blake left, and made her way to Beacon, in hopes of not only discovering herself- but to help other people.
That's what her conscience would do, so she might as well get on the same page.
Blake smiled.
At least she wouldn't be alone at Beacon.
RWBY
In the three months that Blake had been at Beacon, she had successfully become a part of team RWBY, led by none other than a fifteen year-old girl, and became a team-mate with Weiss Schnee of all people, Partnered with a Blonde Bombshell with a penchant for lighting things on fire- and puns- and also got in a fight with a large group of White Fang, as well as the dangerous criminal Roman Torchwick.
Yeah, that last part was pretty stressful.
But none of that compared to the fact that her conscience had all but disappeared.
"Yang, I really just want to study, okay?" She grimaced as her blonde friend shook her head, and raised her voice.
"Seriously Blake, We just wanna hang out with JNPR. You've literally interacted with them once- and I'm not sure you've ever even spoken to Jaune." Yang cocked her head, and resting a hand on her hip. "I mean, the semester's practically over. You've studied enough for all four of us, and frankly-"
Yang paused, biting her lip. "You're acting a little like Weiss."
Blake hissed at that. "Me? I've just been tired, is all."
Yang paused again at that, running a hand through her hair. "Your conscience?"
Blake cringed, but nodded. "I just…" She bit her own lip before closing her textbook. "I'm afraid something's happened to him. He's never been this quiet before."
The blonde sighed. "I know it's tough… I've never had to deal with anything like that with mine. He's as chatty as always." She sat down on the bed next to Blake. "But I'm sure he'll be fine. Just, maybe this'll take your mind off of it."
Blake sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, fine. As long as you leave me alone about this."
RWBY
"Jaune?"
"Yeah, Pyrrha?"
"Are you feeling well?"
No, he wasn't, but he wasn't about to tell her that. It had been almost a month since the voice in his head stopped talking again. He was afraid she had been hurt- put in a coma- or worse.
The voice that had occupied a space in both his mind and heart for as long as he could remember was just… gone.
He rarely spoke to anyone outside his team, even RWBY. His conscience had always been the one to break him out of his comfort zone, and to encourage him.
Without her…
It didn't feel worth it.
"I'm fine, Pyrr." He assured her. "Did you need something?"
He hadn't told Pyrrha… Though perhaps he should have. Maybe she would help him go look for her.
No… Jaune couldn't put that on Pyrrha. She had enough on her own mind for him to dump his issues on her. It wouldn't be fair.
"Actually, Nora, Ren and I were just about to go into vale with team RWBY. You know, relax before our final exams take place." She smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Would you join us?"
Jaune didn't want to.
But Pyrrha's hopeful eyes convinced him otherwise.
RWBY
The two teams made their way through the streets of Vale noisily. Nora and Yang simply built off of each other's energy, getting more rambunctious as the trip went on. Ren was as quiet as always, and Jaune never said a single word. Neither did Blake, but that was normal as well. Pyrrha and Ruby spoke about weapons and special ammunition, and Weiss simply flitted between conversations- offering her own sassy remarks.
They finally sat down in a small Café, each of them purchasing some small drink or dessert.
"So-" Nora said, before smirking somewhat devilishly. "Who here knows their soulmate?"
It was often a question that people asked when getting to know friends, but Yang stiffened, turning ever so slightly to glance worriedly at Blake. The black bowed girl had stiffened as well, but simply buried herself further into her book.
"I do." Weiss stated simply, using her fork to stab a piece of cake. "I met him when I was younger, though it's been many years since I've seen him." She furrowed her eyebrows. "My Father found him rather… Distasteful. I'm expected never to meet with him again."
It was at that point Jaune stood up to leave, not even bothering to mutter something like, 'I'm going to the bathroom.' It was normal for Jaune, who never interacted with others.
"I've never met mine." Ruby admitted, biting her lip. "I mean, I have one. But I'm not sure I want to meet him."
"Why not?" Pyrrha asked.
"He's kinda mean." She admitted. "Not to me… But he says some weird things sometimes."
Yang looked to Blake again, who seemed to shrink visibly.
"What about you, Pyrrha?" Yang asked, trying to shift the topic a bit.
Pyrrha smiled sadly, before shaking her head. "I've never met mine. But I-" She cut herself off. "He's different." She finished, leaving no room for discussion.
"What about you, Blakey?" The blonde's eyes widened in horror as Nora asked the question.
Blake didn't answer, and for a moment Yang was afraid she was just going to get up and leave.
"I don't know." Blake finally replied, her voice so small and weak.
Everyone at the table went quiet, and Nora and Ren shared a look.
"I just… I mean…" She continued, tears welling in her eyes. "I have one… Or at least I did."
Weiss looked down at her food, nodding sadly.
"I just wish-" Blake said. "I just wish he would say something. I don't know what to do."
"When was the last time you saw him?" Pyrrha asked kindly.
Blake wiped the tears from her eyes, before shaking her head. "I've never met him." She replied.
Weiss' head shot up from her food. "What? But you just said you haven't heard from him!"
Blake's hand reached up to tap the side of her head. "In here." She said sadly.
The white haired girl remained frozen in place, mouth opening and shutting uselessly.
"You absolute dunce!" Weiss shouted, frightening an elderly couple sitting at a table nearby.
"What?!" Blake growled back. "This is the first time he's ever been quiet! How can you expect me to not be afraid for him?"
Weiss snorted at that. "Because if he were dead or injured, you'd still hear his voice, you idiot."
Blake blinked at that. "What-"
"HE's alive, Blake. Your soulmate only goes quiet in your head if you meet him, or spend a lot of time in close proximity to him. Did no one ever tell you this?"
Yang coughed. "I've never heard of it."
"Same here."
"Renny's always nearby."
"I've never heard tell of it."
"With how much Nora talks, I can't ever tell if it's in my head or not."
Weiss sighed, cradling her head. "I'm surrounded by morons."
"So…" Blake said slowly. "He's alive?"
"Not only that, he's at Beacon." Weiss flicked a stray hair out of her face. "And relatively close to you, if how quiet he's been is any indication."
Blake's heart soared. He was alive! He was okay! And he was at Beacon!
Her eyebrows furrowed. "But who-"
The group was interrupted by Jaune returning, his hoodie pulled up over his head. He took his seat, not saying a single word.
The table was silent.
"Please." Yang broke it. "Please don't tell me that the two of you have never shared a single freaking conversation."
Jaune just looked on in confusion, and Blake flushed.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Weiss groaned. "Neither of you knew?"
Jaune spoke up, for perhaps one of the first times since his conscience disappeared. "What?"
Blake groaned, throwing her head back. That was the voice in her head all right.
The table was silent once more.
Jaune looked around, furrowing his eyebrows even further. "What are you on about?"
Yang began to giggle.
"It's not funny!" Ruby blurted out, waving her hands around frantically. "It's not!"
"It's kinda funny." Nora grinned, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"Well…" Pyrrha said, trying to keep a straight face.
Jaune looked around incredulously.
Blake sighed, before standing up and rounding the table.
She looked down at Jaune, who returned her gaze with caution.
"Jaune." She said softly, hand reaching out to touch him on the shoulder.
He froze.
Blake leaned in, capturing his face in a short kiss.
The sound of Yang's scroll-camera went off.
A/NWow. I didn't think I'd ever write one of these.It's trash imo…But I wrote it /So yeah.KNIGHTSHADE BOO-YAH.OUR SHIP IS BOTH SHIELD AND STEALTHWE SHALLN'T BE SUNK.
