Blake caught sight of her inside the makeshift training room, giving the improvised punching bag a beating.
The blonde gave no indication that she was aware of Blake's being there. The only noticeable change being the increasing strength in her punches, the rope holding that bag to the ceiling swinging with the pressure.
"Yang?"
She watched as the woman in front of her took a shaky breath, her enhanced vision telling her that much. That alone made her want to turn the opposite direction and run. But she knew she had to do this.
One step after another, she walked towards her partner, walked as if she was treading on thin ice that threatened to crack and give way beneath her feet.
"Blake."
She had never thought that she would ever hear her name be said by Yang. By one of the people who wormed their way in into the walls that she built around herself.
'Only for you to lock her out again when she needed you the most.'
As much as a portion of her brain tried to find an angle wherein her leaving was right, no matter how much of it tried to justify what she did, she knew she was wrong. She left Weiss to fend for herself when she was taken back to the place she wanted no part of. She left Ruby to take the brunt of Yang's anger which should have been hers to take. Most importantly, she left her partner to recover and be able to get past what was taken from her and accept what was left of her by someone from Blake's past, of all people.
Unbeknownst to her, only a mere twelve inches was what was distancing her from the woman that stood in front of her. The temperature around them seeming a few degrees higher, enough for even Blake to notice the change.
"The rooms are to the left, in case you lost your way around", said Yang, temporarily letting her arms drop to her side. Her voice devoid of emotion and the shadows covering her face made reading her expression difficult.
"No, I meant—I meant to go here."
Silence. The only audible sounds were their breathing and the creaking of the ceiling as the bag swung back and forth, recovering from the punches sent its way only a few minutes ago.
"Oh. Well, make yourself at home. I'm pretty much done here anyway. I'll—I'll just—I'll get going." Yang finished, feet moving towards the door.
She stuttered?
Blake wanted to punch herself for stating the obvious, which was oddly enough a few moments ago to her was not. It was as if her brain was not able to register it due to it not being a common occurrence. Especially, when it came to Yang. She has always carried an aura of confidence whenever she entered the room, something that Blake liked about her partner. For Yang to stutter, it was just so unlike her that Blake wanted to just crawl in on herself.
"Yang, please don't." Blake wished to whatever deity that Yang would allow her a minute or two. Minutes that she did not deserve to be given to her. "I just wanted to-"
Yang paused, her head down. Once again, not giving Blake the opportunity to read her expression if she even wore one. Damn it. Blake hoped she did. Any emotion, it did not matter what, would be better than seeing and hearing Yang be devoid of one.
"—to apologize. And say that you don't deserve what I did to you. To all of you."
Blake heard a chuckle escape Yang's lips.
"Well, it sure seemed that I did. You made me feel that I did."
She wished that the ground would swallow her whole right then and there as she listened to Yang. A part of her tried to rationalize by telling herself that it was never her intention to do just that, that she never intended for her to feel like that. But she knew she was wrong. She should have taken everyone into account before she left. And with the state she left Yang in…
"You left me Blake. How could you?"
Blake could not help but flinch when Yang finally looked at her. Red-rimmed eyes looked back at her amber ones. The red color that replaced the lilac ones stared at her with so much anger that it made the ground suddenly seem all that interesting.
"Yang, I—" She shook her head as her voice threatened to break. She promised herself she would not before she entered the room that not long ago seemed big enough for all of them, but now seemed too small for even just the two of them.
"I didn't say 'I love you' back to Ruby when she told me that she did, you know? When I sat there on my bed, not even allowing myself to look at her, all because I was angry. All because I was at a loss. You could have been there, but you weren't. You could have helped me." With that, Yang sent a glance down the arm that was now replaced by a prosthesis, holding the other that shook visibly. Blake felt a pang erupt in her chest.
Yang's voice gradually went from what was earlier almost inaudible to shouting. Blake deserved it. She knew she did. So she stood there and accepted what was deserving of her.
"I spent months wallowing in self-hatred, Blake! Something I never thought I would. All because that prick took a part of me, that no matter what I do, I wouldn't be able to bring back. It doesn't matter if I have this thing attached to what's left of me, I wouldn't ever have my arm back! I haven't left that place, Blake. I'm knee-deep in and I have no idea how to get myself out! I'm broken and I don't know how to place myself back together!"
She had no idea how it happened, but despite of her legs threatening to give out on her, despite her instincts telling her to run and avoid all this, she was able to cross the gap between her and Yang. Close enough that Yang was able to hit her with the punches that was earlier intended for the bag that hung off the ceiling.
"Damn it, Blake. I can't pull myself out." Yang resorted to hitting Blake with her fists, her eyes shifting from red to lilac and back to red. She felt her form shake against hers, inside the embrace that Blake had unknowingly initiated.
She knew she had to say something. Yang deserved at least that from her. But she was at a loss for words, her mind was muddled, her voice was breaking, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Yang—"
Oum, she wished that she could just hug all the pain away. All the hatred, self-loathing and pent-up anger that threatened to break Yang further.
"Yang, I am so sorry." Was all she could say. Who was she kidding? Words were never going to be enough. But for now, they were all she had. They'll have to do, at least for now.
"I'm so sorry for bringing Adam along. I am so sorry that he took away a part of you that, how I so wish I could bring back." Blake felt warm tears run down her face. She hated seeing the pain she has left her alone with break her, break the Yang that she met back at their first night in Beacon.
"I am so sorry for leaving you to deal with all of that alone. You of all people don't deserve that, Yang. I'm sorry for hurting you too much to make you think that you did."
"I am so sorry for being like Adam, for taking so much from you and only leaving pain, instead of being a partner to you like how I was supposed to be since the initiation."
She wanted to say more, say words of apology that may not be enough to take all the pain away but at least be of equal number to the pain that her friend felt, but she was not able to. That alone made her hate herself even more.
Blake felt Yang's breathing even out. Gone was the shakiness of her breathing, of her shoulders, replaced with a sniff from time to time and—
-and of Yang hugging her back. Blake felt as if a dam broke inside of her and she felt tears run down her face, taking all of the sadness and anger at herself away with it.
"Yang, I am so sorry. I promise to be there for you from now on. We can be broken together. It won't be quick but we can help each other piece ourselves back together, Yang. No more running away, I promise."
She felt as Yang rose to her full height, initiating yet another embrace which Blake gladly returned. After a minute or two spent crying, of apologies said, they broke away from the hug, a smile on each other's faces. Yang was the first to break the comfortable silence.
"Do you swear on Ninjas of Love?"
"Really, Yang? But, yes. I plan on keeping my promise."
"Now, Blake. I know you're not saying it, but don't you dare hate yourself for what I've gone through. And also—" A flick on the forehead, "—don't you dare compare yourself to Adam. That prick's on a whole another level by himself." All Blake could do was nod and cry away what was left of her tears.
"I really am sorry, Yang. For everything."
"I'm sorry, too. I may have gone too far with what I've said. I don't know. But I'm sorry."
Silence filled the room as they wiped away at the tears that threatened to spill and chuckled to themselves.
"Now, I know that people were right when they said we tend to get on a whole another level of sappiness when it's late at night."
"I'm sorry I ruined your training, though. And that you had to bend your legs like that for far too long. That couldn't have been pleasant." Said Blake, earning her another flick to the forehead.
"Laugh all you want, Belladonna. But that's only because you haven't grown much when you were away to come back and actually be taller than me. Now let's go before they come looking for us."
AN: So that's a thing.
This is my first attempt at a RWBY fanfic that I actually got to finish. 'Battle Scars' by Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian helped tons, not exactly new but it sure helped set the mood as I was writing these down.
Feel free to throw in a criticism down the reviews section and reviews if you feel like it. I might write more. I don't know.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, if some of you do read this.