RWBY: Eyes That See All

Prologue Pt. 1

Tanner Murdoch. An average boy is what many would see him as from a distance. But, when they get closer to him, opinions may change. For one, he's a Faunus. And not just any Faunus: a Bat Faunus. Which brings us to the next part: he's blind. Despite him being blind, he can practically move and interact with the world as if he could truly see. A pair of black, medium-sized bat ears can be seen poking out from his black faux hawk. His eyes, completely colorless, hide behind a pair of thin-rimmed, black shaded sunglasses. Thankfully, at least that's what he says, he only needs them outside.

Oh yeah. Forgot the part where it says he can see despite being blind.

See, with Tanner being a Bat Faunus, he has attributes of bats, like the ears. Two of his upper canines are slightly longer than a normal human tooth. And, if you ever see him fighting or moving around a lot, just listen very carefully. You might be able to hear a faint clicking coming from Tanner's mouth. This is how he became a very capable fighter. Every now and then, you'll hear him making that clicking sound. That combined with his exceptional hearing from his ears allows him to move and fight despite his visual handicap. Therefore, you never see him walking with a sight cane. But, you do seem him dragging his sword on the ground; same exact reason, if not to also intimidate.

Before you ask, no, he is not a member of the White Fang, nor in any way affiliated. He does (rather did) support their mission of Faunus equality; not the current one of Faunus superiority. Heck, even one of his best friends, Blake Belladonna, is a member of the group. Time and time again, Tanner has tried to dissuade her from staying and, time and time again, she has refused and ignored his pleas. Despite all of this, he still stood by her, through thick and thin.

Here's where we now find ourselves with the two in a heartwarming moment.

Tanner was putting his mind to use, reading his book lined with Braille lettering. His fingers ran over the pages, feeling the all too familiar bumps. The rain outside was a constant nuisance for his ears, full on sensory overload. He remedied it with earplugs. As he flipped the page, a loud knock came from his front door. He left his bookmark between the pages and made his way to the knocking sound. When he opened the door, he couldn't see who it was. But, he knew who it was. Standing there, dripping wet outside of her friend's Valean home, was Blake Belladonna. Tanner immediately ushered her inside, away from the impending storm.

"Geez, Blake. You're sopping wet. What are you doing here? I thought you said you had a mission," he said with a worried tone lacing his voice. He handed a towel in her direction and followed her to the bathroom with a robe.

"I was. The mission was a success," Blake replied. Tanner noted a slight quiver in her voice.

"Then, why are you over here? Shouldn't you be back at the base?"

Silence was his answer. That is until he felt a pair of crushing arms around his frame followed by the sound of choked sobbing. Rarely had Tanner ever seen his friend in such a state, maybe only once before when she showed regret at running away from her family in Menagerie. He wrapped his arms around his best friend and held her.

Growing up, the two were almost always together in Menagerie. Tanner's mom and dad were both Bat Faunus, minus the blind part. When her father, Ghira Belladonna, stepped down as White Fang leader, Blake ran away from home, joining the new White Fang. Tanner had moved to a somewhat friendly neighborhood in Vale and enrolled at Signal Academy. All during this time, the two hardly spoke to each other. Then, one random day on the way home from school, Tanner ran into Blake; not literally, but she found him first. They decided to catch up at a nearby café, where she expressed regret at running away from home, but, still wanted to remain with the White Fang and its cause. She cried, and he comforted her.

And, it's happened again.

Blake backed out from the hug, finally finding her voice again. "I ran away from the White Fang, Tanner." His face showed shock. "I'm done with them and I never want to go back again."

His eyes relaxed, relieved at hearing her say that. He pulled her into another hug. "Welcome back, Blake." She sank into his arms, feeling safe for the first time in a while. "Go get changed. I don't want you catching a cold."

Blake smiled and nodded, taking the robe into the bathroom. Tanner waited until he heard the water running in the shower before going back downstairs. Stairs for him growing up were his worst enemy; either that or the bullies that teased and tripped him at school. But, he got better with both. And the bullies soon found that they were the ones on the ground.

Blake sighed, feeling the warm water running over her already damp skin. When she told him about her leaving the White Fang, she expected a snide remark and a "I told you so." Tanner didn't give her that. He was just happy that she finally saw the light.

A few minutes later, Blake left the bathroom in the red robe Tanner gave her. She looked outside and saw the rain falling even heavier than earlier. Her attention was brought to the living room where Tanner was. Her Faunus hearing picked up some slight shaking in his breathing; he still was focused on the book in his lap. Blake's bare feet made a pattering sound on the hardwood floor as she approached the couch. Tanner felt a shift to his right. He could already sense the teasing Blake was going to dish out.

"So," Tanner heard Blake say, "you still don't like storms, do you?" Okay, not what he was expecting. His answer was a shaky inhale. He hated thunderstorms with all his being. He tried to not cry or anything in front of her. He needed to be strong. After all, he wanted to be a Hunter like his parents. A little storm couldn't scare him. "Why hide it now?"

Tanner closed his book and set it on the table in front of them. "R-Right now," he said, "you need a strong shoulder to lean on." He flinched and tensed at the following roll of thunder. "I-I can't be scared when m-my best friend is scared." Blake couldn't help but giggle. "S-Seriously!"

"Tanner," Blake said, shaking her head, "I'm no longer scared tonight. When you let me in from the storm, I felt safe. If you're scared now, that's fine. I know you've hated storms growing up. But, I thought you were no longer scared of them."

Tanner couldn't help but blush remembering the first time she helped him through a storm. They were just kids playing on the beach. The sky turned dark and they tried to run back to her house before the rain started. Just as they crossed through the threshold, a loud crack of thunder sent Tanner to the floor. He curled up into a ball, his small hands pressed against his ears in a futile attempt to drown out the sound. With some gentle coercion, Blake was able to get him up to her room. She wrapped him in a very tight hug and helped drown out the thunder. It was also the night they had their first sleepover (she was unintentionally good at helping him sleep). From that day on, Tanner knew Blake would be his best friend, practically sister.

"Surprise, surprise." He coughed into his shirt, covering up the blush. "It's better now." Blake nodded in agreement. "Even still, can't stand thunderstorms." And as if the storm heard him, it retaliated with a loud crack of thunder. Tanner slammed his eyes shut and clutched his arms. Blake's arm gripped tighter and rubbed a calming rhythm on his shoulder. "If you don't mind, could you stay tonight?" He looked over at her, eyes almost meeting hers. "Mom and dad are out on a mission; said they'd be back tomorrow afternoon."

"I was hoping you'd offer." Blake's face fell a bit. "As of now, I have nowhere to go. Only family I have is back in Menagerie." Tears leaked from her eyes. She swore she wouldn't cry anymore tonight. "What will my parents think? It took me this long to realize the damage the White Fang caused."

Despite being scared, Tanner once again pulled Blake into a hug. "They're your parents, Blake. I'm sure they'll still be proud to at least see you again." He rubbed her back, gripping tight. "You still saw the evil in Adam, in the White Fang. You left." He closed his eyes. "That's all that matters."

Blake nodded and rest her head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"What are friends for?"