Blake was sitting in the ruins of Beacon Academy, sharpening the blade of Gambol Shroud against a pile of debris, when she noticed a little yellow canary flapping clumsily toward her. Her amber eyes widened as the bird's wings started to give out, and she jumped up, extending her hand to catch the little bird just as it fell.
"Gotcha," she said, leaning her weapon against the side of a rugged brick and bringing her other hand up to ruffle the tiny bird's feathers. She leaned in to get a closer look and realized that the canary's right wing had been injured. "Oh no," she whispered, lifting her index finger to inspect the wound, but the bird flinched away before she could touch it and began to angrily chirp at its captor.
Blake furrowed her eyebrows, and let out a sigh of defeat as she fell back onto the pile where she'd been working. "You know, if you don't let me help you, you'll end up Grimm food."
The canary chirped in response, pushing itself up with its good wing and turning around so its tail feathers were raised to Blake's face.
"So you're a stubborn little thing," Blake said with a small chuckle. "Got it." She set the bird down on the edge of a chipped brick, and reached for Gambol Shroud once more. "You can hang out with me if you want, but once it gets dark, I can't promise I'll take you with me."
With no response from the tiny creature, Blake shrugged to herself, and recoiled her blade back into gun form. She flipped the weapon over in her lap and stared down at the detailed ridges she'd since carved into the shiny, metal grip a few weeks earlier. It'd been roughly four months since she'd first returned to this place, the scene of the attack she'd been so desperately trying to forget. But it wasn't easy, especially when she'd picked this place specifically so she could wallow in her own self-pity and hide out in the one place she knew no one would check.
Beacon had since become a Grimm wasteland, the damage even worse than what had been inflicted on Mountain Glenn all those decades ago. What was supposed to have been the most hopeful of places in Vale had now become the most hopeless, new hordes of Grimm continuing to enter every single day. But they never bothered Blake. She always kept to herself, always retreated to an abandoned classroom or dorm whenever the sun went down and the Beowolves came out. It was lonely, but in a way, it had been peaceful, too, knowing she didn't have to carry the burden of hurting her friends or teammates anymore.
At least that was what she liked to pretend. But every night, Yang was the first person on her mind, the first person Blake saw when she went through the list of people she'd done wrong. She had promised Yang so long ago to stick by her side and trust her with everything she had. And she didn't leave because she didn't trust Yang - she left because she couldn't trust herself. By keeping Yang and the rest of her teammates out of her reach, maybe Adam would finally leave them alone. Maybe he would leave Blake alone, too. It was for the best, anyway. All Blake ever did was cause other people pain, no matter how hard she'd been trying to change her ways and fight for what was right.
She wasn't even sure she knew what was right anymore. The White Fang had lied to her. Ozpin had lied to her. Everything she ever knew about the noble Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world were all now just spinning questions in her mind, and Blake was unsure if there was even such a thing as a hero anymore. What made someone a hero, anyway? What made one cause greater than another, and who was to decide what was right or what was wrong?
Blake wanted to go back. She ached to go back. All she wanted was a warm bed to sleep in for just a night, a fresh change of clothes that didn't have holes or tears all down the sides from months of rough nights sleeping on rubble and broken glass. There wasn't much to do at Beacon anymore other than to pass time reading the few books that were left undamaged from the library or continue to make upgrades to her weapon that she barely got use out of nowadays. Sure, she could use some of the many, many Grimm that lurked around for target practice, but taking on one meant taking them all, and Blake knew that that was a death sentence just waiting to happen. Sure, she'd gotten stronger, but not even a thousand shadow clones would be enough to take on the giant Griffons and Goliaths that stood half as tall as Beacon's tower once did.
It was a wonder why a bird as tiny and bright as the little canary would even think to fly to a deserted battleground festering with the creatures of evil incarnate. Perhaps it had gotten lost on its way home, or it had escaped from its master's cage after their apartment had been struck during the Battle of Beacon. Either way, it looked to be in no condition to fly, and Blake wasn't sure if it would even last the night.
She reached out for the fluffy bird once more, and immediately, it flinched at her touch. It whipped its head around and met Blake with the most pained, violet eyes, and Blake couldn't help but tear up at the sight.
"You remind me so much of someone I used to know," she said softly, pulling her hand away as it turned to face her. "She was injured, too, just like you…"
The bird cocked its head to the side, letting out a quiet chirp as it urged Blake to continue.
Blake gave it a sad smile. "The worst part is that she was hurt trying to save me… I never got to tell her why I left, but if I stuck around until she woke up, it would've just been that much harder to say goodbye…"
Suddenly, the canary's chirping became frantic and higher in pitch, its left wing flapping as it seemed to be trying to tell Blake something. Her eyes widened as the bird's feathers began to expand, and the tiny creature took on a new, definitely-not-so-tiny form.
"No…" Blake whispered as she met familiar violet eyes, the canary's feathers now a long, wild mane of golden hair. "I… Y-you're not real…"
"Neat trick, huh?" the Human now perched before her said passively as she flipped her hair over her left shoulder. "I learned it from my Uncle."
Blake shook her head, backing away from the girl as she pushed herself up to her feet. "You can't be here… That's not possible…"
Yang sighed, lowering her gaze to her thighs - which, thankfully, were fully clothed in thick denim jeans. "I got tired of sitting around, Blake. Of moping and wondering why you left…"
Blake bit her bottom lip, sucking in a deep breath through gritted teeth as she forced herself to take in the image that was her old partner - long, golden hair, bright, violet eyes, a long-sleeved leather top that hid more cleavage than Blake was used to, and that right sleeve folded up to Yang's elbow with nothing but empty space where her forearm used to be.
"I thought if I came in my… other form… I could get you to talk for a bit."
"But how?" Blake finally spat after a moment, amber eyes still wide in shock and tears. "How did you find me?"
Yang lifted her head, and gave Blake a ghost of a smile. "Honestly, it wasn't easy. I spent about a month searching the town's ruins and even the abandoned railroad tracks in the Forever Fall. I figured you didn't leave Vale. I knew you'd stick around, even if it was at arm's length. You may be a runner, Blake, but you never do get very far."
Blake turned toward Yang, steeling herself as she took a step in her old friend's direction. "Yang, I… I didn't leave because of you. I left for you."
"I know."
"Y-you do?"
The blonde nodded, a short, quivering breath escaping her lips. "I….I kind of spent the first few months angry at you for what you did… I spent so long wallowing in self-hatred and defeat, but then one day I just woke up and realized that if I spent the rest of my life laying in bed being bitter at the world, I would never get the answers I've been searching for all my life - I would never know why it seems to be so easy for everyone to leave me."
Blake shook her head. "Yang, it's not like that… If anything, leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do…" She lowered herself back to her seat, and hesitantly extended a hand to Yang's thigh. To her relief, Yang didn't pull away, and Blake finally allowed herself to relax. "I didn't want to lose you, Yang… That's why I left. Adam - that man who took your arm - wants to do so much worse to you and everyone I love. I just figured that if I stayed away, he wouldn't be able to find you…"
Yang curled her left hand into a fist, and lifted it for a moment before unclenching it and placing it gently over Blake's. "Blake, I want to hurt him as much as you do. That's why I'm here." She met the other girl's eyes with a fuller, more genuine smile, her violet gaze shining with tears. "I can't get revenge on the man who stabbed my best friend if she isn't here with me to back me up."
"But you shouldn't trust me," Blake muttered. "I abandoned you after I promised I wouldn't…"
"Then I guess you'll just have to make sure not to break it this time." Yang moved her hand until her fingers were lined perfectly between Blake's own, and she slid them in smoothly until their hands were interlocked. "Please say you'll come with me… Ruby needs us, Blake, and I need you."
Blake's Faunus ears perked up at the sound of her former leader's name, and she looked up at Yang with a worried, questioning stare. "What about Ruby?"
Yang's breath hitched, and she gave Blake's hand a gentle squeeze. "She… she went to Haven with Jaune, Nora, and Ren… She left over two months ago, but I was too stubborn to follow. I haven't heard from her since then, and I just… I need to know she's okay. So please… I'll ask one more time. Will you come with me?"
Blake sighed, casting a sidelong glance at her weapon which she had since dropped after watching Yang transform. So many upgrades, but so little use… It would be a shame if she just let it sit there and rot for nothing. She reached for Gambol Shroud with her free hand and slung it behind her back, attaching it to its holster that she always kept on to protect her from fallen debris at night. Once her weapon was secured, she looked back up at Yang and met her with the first full smile she'd been able to muster since before the Vytal Tournament had taken such a dark turn all those months earlier. "I'll go with you." She gave Yang's hand a firm squeeze. "But you have to promise me one thing."
Her friend raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Tell me how you do that bird thing."
Yang chuckled. "I'll do you better." She let go of Blake's hand and raised herself to her feet. "I'll show ya." She climbed up on the top of the debris she'd been sitting, and winked at Blake as she tucked her left arm into her side. With a little jump, she transformed once more before Blake's eyes, those long locks once again taking the texture of feathers, her Human body shrinking and reshaping into that tiny little canary. But like before, Yang's right wing was still damaged, and Blake had to extend her hands to catch her as she stumbled and fell.
"I've got you," she said lovingly to the bird, cradling it in her palms and holding it to her chest. This time, Yang didn't flinch away at Blake's touch, instead curling into the woman's warm embrace, her head resting again Blake's bosom. Blake smiled down at her, still not exactly sure how any of this was possible, but like most things with Yang, she just decided to go with it. "I'm not going to let you go."
