A young girl around the age of twelve with black hair and brilliant golden eyes dressed in black, grey, and light-purple with two cat-ears perched on top of her head stood in a large crowd, hoisting a picket-sign reading WE WANT EQUALITY! in crimson letters.
"Hey!" She looked over her shoulder, annoyed. "Belle, you need to raise your sign higher!" An identical girl in black, grey, and light-blue with her hair in a ponytail flinched as she hoisted her sign, her own pair of cat-ears flicking back.
"S-sorry!"
"It's important that we protest the treatment of Faunus working in these mines! And if we don't, you know Adam will get mad at you, again."
"He will?!"
"Yep, and we'll tell Ilia that you wasted a perfectly good sign!"
"Blake..!"
"You know I'm just looking out for you, little sister." Blake laughed and tousled Belle's hair. The younger twin pouted.
"I'm only younger by twenty-three seconds!"
"Whatever." Blake rolled her eyes. "Just raise your sign higher. You know how cranky Adam gets if everything doesn't go perfectly."
"Adam this, Adam that!" Belle mocked, annoyed. "Who even cares what Adam thinks?!" There was a snort of annoyance, and the twelve year-old tensed up. "Uh-oh... He's right behind me, isn't he?" Blake nodded, smirking lightly.
"Yes, he is."
"Oh..." Belle turned around, giving an awkward laugh and waving at the eighteen year-old bull-Faunus with a mask covering his eyes. "Hey, Adam! Long time, no see! How's it going?"
"Why are you acting-?" Adam paused, then he looked at Blake. "Are you scaring her, again?" Blake smiled awkwardly.
"I'm just playing, Adam. It's fun!"
"Well, you need to stop." Adam told her curtly. "You, me, Ilia, Belle - we're all each other has. In a world like this, where any of us could go any day, do you want to be left with regrets?" Blake blinked, then she looked down.
"You're right, Adam. I-I'm sorry."
"Hey, hey." Belle lowered her sign, smiling tensely. "There's no need for that. Blake's right, I-I need to hold my sign higher." Belle raised her sign onto her shoulder, showing the blue letters that read THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE!. "I wish I was as good at making signs as Ilia. All I'm good for art-wise is drawing plants."
"And you're the best there is." Adam enouraged her, smiling. "... I'm going to go and see if High-Leader Khan needs anything. Be careful, you two." The twins nodded, and the older boy turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"What a buzzkill..." Belle commented, but she was grinning. "And such a softy." Belle looked back at her sister, and she noticed Blake's smile. "... You SO have a crush on him."
"D-do not!" Blake quickly protested, her face turning scarlet. Belle smirked, her cat-ears perking up
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Grr... Just get back to work, and be careful!" Blake shouted, frustrated, and she marched a few steps away. Belle laughed at that.
"You sound like Adam!"
"Good!"
Just then, the Schnee Dust Company's crowd-control arrived. As they started firing bean-bags and throwing tear-gas to disburse the crowd, Adam suddenly arrived and grabbed the two girls by the wrists, looking at both of them with concern.
"Let's get out of here!" He shouted, and the three started to run away, going down the nearest alleyway while an officer chased after them. Belle was falling behind, and she tripped over some garbage, her hand slipping out of Adam's. Blake and Adam looked back, their eyes wide, and Belle recovered and cringed, her hands and knees bleeding.
"Agh..."
"Belle!" Blake shouted and Belle looked up, terrified, as the guard picked her up by the back of her blue tank-top, glaring at the other two youths. "No! Let my sister go!" Adam's eyes were wide behind his mask, and he looked between the two sisters in near-panic.
"... Go!" Belle cried out, and Adam's gaze locked onto her. "It'll be okay! Get out of here! Get my sister home!"
"I..." Adam did not know what to say. Belle was in the hands of a human with a gun who could arrest or even kill all three of them if provoked. Blake was safe, in his hands, under his protection... "We'll be back." Belle nodded shakily, smiling even as her eyes teared up. "I promise."
"I know!"
"... Blake, we have to go!" Adam's hand closed tighter around Blake's wrist, and the two turned started running again. Blake's eyes were wide and filled with tears as she struggled against her protector, and she looked back reached out.
"Belle!"
"It'll be okay!" Belle promised, and then they were gone. The officer glared down at the little girl he had managed to capyuee as he started walking down the alleyway, back toward the other men as they finished clearing the area and arresting the rest of the crowd.
"Time to bring you in, you little- AH!" The guard shouted in pain as Belle pushed her feet against a crate, leapt up, and sunk her teeth into his wrist. The man released the little cat-Faunus, and the girl ran into the alleyway, quickly vanishing from his view. "GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE BEAST! GET BACK HERE, RIGHT NOW!"
/\
It was nighttime in the little Vacuo settlement, and workers from the Schnee Dust Company mine were finally allowed to go home for the day. Old people, men, women, and even children flooded out into the open air.
A young boy with blonde hair, grey eyes, and a yellow-furred monkey-tail stepped out into the open, sweaty and exhausted but seeming proud of himself as he walked off, whistling a happy tune. He wore jeans, a yellow t-shirt, and black sneakers. A white collared-shirt was thrown over his left shoulder, and a gold medallion hung around his neck. He was covered in dirt and dust, but he did not seem to mind.
The boy started walking down an alleyway, minding his own business, when heard someone whimpering and paused his steps. The monkey-Faunus looked around, raising an eyebrow in his confusion.
"Um... Hello?" The boy asked, confused. "Is someone there?" He noticed a large wooden crate with garbage and old cloth piled in such a way that it hid half of the opening. Two brilliant golden eyes glowed in the darkness, fixated upon him with fear. "Hello?" The boy walked over and kneeled in front of the crate, pulling the cloth aside and peering into the crate. "It's okay, I-I won't hurt you."
"G-go away!" A little girl shouted, terrified but looking ready to pounce and defend herself if need be. The boy noticed her cat-ears, then he raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her face.
"... You're one of those White Fang protesters, aren't you?" He inquired quietly. "You don't look homeless... Don't you guys travel in groups? Where are the rest of you?"
"They left me." The girl told him quietly. "I told them to."
"What?" The boy was obviously surprised by this. "Why?" The girl did not answer. "Um... Do you need help finding them? If you tell me where-"
"They've probably moved, by now." The girl sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, looking dejected. "They never stay in place after a rally like that. I don't know how anyone will find them... But Adam promised he'd be back, so I'm staying here until he comes for me."
"Who's Adam?"
"My friend."
"And your family?"
"My sister is with the others."
"Oh..." The boy did not ask about the rest of her family. "You're... Really staying here?" The little girl nodded, frowning. "Oh, well... My mom is probably asleep, by now. Maybe I can stay with you, so you're not alone."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know." The boy moved into the crate and sat down next to the girl, smiling. "I'm Sun Wukong, by the way."
"... Belle Belladonna." The girl managed a weak grin. Sun gave a tired laugh.
"That's easy to remember."
"I guess so."
"... Oh, man - you're hurt." Sun noted, noticing Belle's palms and knees. Belle looked down at the wounds, sighing.
"Yeah, I know - but it's alright. They're just scrapes, and I managed to find some clean water to wash off... Seriously, why are you doing this?"
"My family's always been real supportive of the White Fang." Sun told her. "Things in Vacuo are better for the Faunus, but not perfect. I was actually in the mines, today." Belle blinked, surprise. "And... My dad's a Huntsman, and he told me that we should always help others if we can."
"A Huntsman?" Belle's eyes lit up. Sun blinked, then he smirked playfully.
"Wanna hear a few totally-true stories of how my dad and I have taken on armies of Grimm?"
"Sure!"
"... Oh. Um..." Sun looked up thoughfully, then he looked at Belle. "There we were, in the desert at midnight..."
/\
Blake sat in a tent, sobbing as Adam rested an arm around her shoulders, looking at her with remorse.
"I'm sorry."
"H-how could we leave her?!"
"It was too dangerous. If we had stayed, we would have been captured, too... The Lieutenant will find her, and all of the others we lost. They'll be fine, Blake." Adam's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "I promise... I'll go after her myself, if I must."
"THEY'RE BACK!" A voice shouted outside, alerting the two. Adam and Blake shot to their feet and out of the tent, their eyes wide as they scanned the returning crowd for Belle Belladonna... Lieutenant Banesaw slowly walked up to the new leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan - a young tiger-Faunus woman.
"All of our members are here and accounted for." Banesaw reported quietly. "All but one." Sienna's eyes widened slightly as they went to the crowd.
"Who?"
"... The healer's apprentice, Belle Belladonna."
"A child?!"
"What?!" It went silent as all eyes turned to Blake, whose golden eyes had filled with tears. Sienna and Banesaw slowly walked over to the girl.
"I searched everywhere." Banesaw admitted, his tone forlorn. "The entire stockade. I even interrogated a few of the officers... There was no sign of her. I'm so sorry, Blake."
"B-but she was arrested!" Blake did not even notice Adam's shaking hand being placed on her shoulder. "Where could she be?! Where is my sister?!"
"... The Schnee Dust Company's facilities have been known to take stronger or younger Faunus-offenders and make them work in the mines." Sienna noted quietly. "And if they refuse to work or aren't productive enough, they are useless... Your sister has never shown signs of being strong in anything besides medicine, and with her loyalty to the cause..." Blake started crying. "I'm sorry, little one."
"I-I was supposed to look after her! I shouldn't have let her f-fall behind! This is all my fault!"
"No." Adam shook his head, trying to remain strong. "It's my fault, Blake. I was supposed to get the both of you to safety... I failed." Sienna placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"You did what you thought was best, and you are the only reason why you and Blake are still here." She tried, then she looked over at Blake. "The Schnee Dust Company will pay for this, I promise."
"No... I promise." Adam announced coldly, turning towards the entrance to the camp. "I'm going to find her." Sienna's eyes narrowed as she watched the boy begin to walk away.
"Adam, you'll be killed."
"I promised!" Adam looked back, glaring theough the slits of his mask. "And I am NOT about to leave one of our own behind!" Sienna sighed quietly, her tiger-ears flicking back.
"Adam, you of all know what it's like in those mines. Could that girl have survived one day?" She asked softly. Adam paused, seeming surprised by the question, then his face fell. "It's over, Adam... Let her go."
A girl with grey eyes and strange marks on her skin made her way through the crowd to find Blake. Slowly, she approached the taller girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression forlorn.
"Blake?"
"Leave me alone, Ilia." Blake whispered, closing her eyes. "For a while, at least... I'm sorry that we lost your signs." Ilia huggled Blake from behind, closing her eyes as she rested her face on the other girl's shoulder.
"It's okay... You have nothing to be sorry for."
/\/\/\/\
In the early morning, Belle and Sun were somehow still awake. Sun had spent the whole night telling Belle the stories he had made up in his head, and while she had caught on to the lack of truth, she still listened to the creative tales.
"So, I looked at my dad and said-"
"Let me guess, 'I got this'?" Belle teased softly. Sun snorted, grinning.
"You know me so well."
"And... You defeated all of those ninjas with a broken leg and a sprained tail single-handedly while your father cheered." Belle finished the tale for him as Sun blushed in embarassment. "Whoo! Go, Sun! Go, Sun!"
"Yep!"
"Hm." Belle grinned, then she sighed and closed her eyes. "... They never came." Sun's face fell, then he gave a small smile.
"Maybe my mom can help! I can take you to my house, and after breakfast, we can-! Uh-oh!" Sun's face paled as he checked his scroll. "We've got to hurry! I only have two hours before work!"
"... Alright, then." Belle smiled lightly. "I don't want you getting into trouble." Sun crawled out of the crate and held a hand out, and he helped Belle out of the crate. The two stood up, and Sun held her hand in his.
"Alright!" The blonde boy beamed. "Let's go!"
/\
The two twelve year-olds arrived in the "suburbs" of the settlement. They walked for some time, then they paused in front of a small, sandstone house with a wooden door and wooden shutters over the barred and glassed-in windows. Cacti with colored flowers grew in the front yard, and Sun smiled.
"It's not much, but it's home."
"It's beautiful." Belle assured him, and Sun seemed relieved. "I love the flowers."
"They're my mom's. My dad's out on a mission, 'cause he's a Huntsman." Sun explained as he led Belle to the door. "That's why I was working in the quarry - to keep money in the house until he gets back, 'cause Mom's sick... My mom's really nice. You'll like her." Sun knocked a few times, and there was some coughing from inside, then the door opened.
The woman was in her early thirties. She had curly blonde hair and green eyes, and she wore green pajamas under a yellow bathrobe. A yellow monkey-tail peered from under the bathrobe, swishing slightly in the cool morning air. The woman was beautiful, but she had bags under her eyes and she seemed weak. Belle's eyes narrowed slightly as she examined the woman's condition, then she snapped to attention as Sun's mother spoke.
"Sun? Where have you been all night? I was so worried." The woman scolded tiredly, then she noticed Belle and her eyes widened slightly. "Um... Who is this?"
"Mom, this is Belle." Sun replied, smiling awkwardly. "I found her last night, and I tried to help... She's with the White Fang, and she got left behind after rally." The woman's eyes were very wide now.
"Oh, you poor thing! Come inside!" The woman coaxed the two children in, then she closed the door and coughed into the sleeve of her robe before looking back at the children. "Come on, little ones, I'll get you both something warm to drink. The desert gets cold at night, and you need something to perk up."
Sun and Belle sat at a kitchen table, talking about each other's lives. Sun wanted to know all about life in the White Fang, and Belle wanted to learn all she could about the treatment of Faunus in Schnee Dust Company Dust-mines. However, she found herself telling more than she was inquiring.
"So, the kids are protesters AND they help healers in the 'Fang?" Sun asked, fascinated. Belle nodded, taking a sip of her tea before setting her cup down.
"Yep. My sister is more of a protester, but I'm the better healer. It'll probably be my job someday, if I ever find my way back to the group." The girl explained, frowning. "... So, the old people and the smaller women push big carts full of rocks and Dust, the men, stronger women, and bigger children mine, and the smallest children-?"
"Are the guards' errand-boys." Sun crossed his arms. "Yeah. The shift is from sunrise 'till an hour after dark. We get five-minute breaks around six, nine, noon, three, six, and nine. The rest of it is hot, sweaty, dusty work... When my dad gets back, we'll have enough money for me to quit and start practicing for combat-school again."
"You're going to be a Huntsman?"
"Yeah, it's the dream! Fighting monsters and bad guys, fighting the strong and evil to protect the weak and innocent - it's what I've always wanted to do!"
"Wow..." Belle looked up at Sun's mother, who had been washing some dishes. Her golden eyes narrowed once more as the woman coughed. "Um... I want to thank you, for the tea."
"It's no trouble." Sun's mother looked up with a small smile. "I'm proud of the White Fang, standing up as the voice of our people. It's not been the same since the last leader stepped down, but still... You're very brave to have joined so young. Your parents must be so very proud o-f..." She paused as Belle looked down, the child's expression becoming grim. "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"... It doesn't matter." Belle sighed, then she looked up at the woman. "I can help you with that cough, ma'am. I've helped to treat people in the White Fang who had similar symptoms."
"What?" Both of the Wukongs asked in sync, surprised. Belle nodded and got up, her eyes narrowed as she grabbed a pot from the sink and started boiling water on the stove.
"I'm apprenticed to the master-healer of our sector of the White Fang." Belle explained as she rummaged through cupboards, finding various cooking herbs and throwing them into the pot. "She's taught me how to cure illnesses and pain with stuff lying around camp or in the woods, how to clean and wrap injuries, how to set broken bones..." The girl stirred the pot. "The cough, you think it's just seasonal allergies? Didn't go to the doctor for it?"
"No-"
"It can be deadly if left untreated for too long." Belle darted outside and returned with some plants from the garden, the pot having started to boil on the stove. She did not seem to notice the Wukongs staring at her in horror. "Luckily, it's common and easy to heal if caught early-on."
"You're twelve!" Mrs. Wukong finally exclaimed as the girl kept working. "How can you know all of this?!"
"Not much else to do around camp." Belle replied, shrugging. "We don't exactly play games when we're on the run from those who would try to end our revolution... Adam taught me that." Belle kept stirring. "And when I was too small to protest, the healer would watch me and my sister. Blake would usually go off painting signs with Ilia though, but I'd be watching her." The young girl grabbed a mug and filled it before holding it up to Mrs. Wukong. "Kids running with the White Fang don't get to be kids for very long."
Mrs. Wukong hesitated, then she took the mug and drank some of the liquid. Her eyes widened as she seemed to snap into full-awareness, starting to breath normally and without labor.
"... That was so awesome!" Sun hugged Belle, who immediately tensed up. "You're like a super-doctor or something!"
"Healers and doctors are pretty different, Sun." Belle smiled uncomfortably. "We're not professionally trained, which makes us lower than battlefield-medics." Sun raised an eyebrow.
"Don't those guys just make you more comfortable while you die?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then, healers should definitely be on-level with them." Sun argued, releasing the girl. "Or, at least, you should!" Belle's face turned red as Mrs. Wukong kept drinking the remedy, eyes wide as she repeatedly muttered how is this possible?.
"T-thanks." Belle managed nervously. Sun beamed at her.
"You deserve it! Now, come on - I'll show you where you can sleep while I'm at work!" Sun grabbed Belle's hand, but Mrs. Wukong raised a hand. "Mom?"
"... Sun, we have enough money to get through until your father's return." The woman announced, looking up with a small smile. " I want you to resign, and get some rest." Sun's eyes lit up.
"Really?! Are you sure?"
"Now that I don't have to worry about cough-medicine, we should be fine. And this mission was rather big, which means you won't ever have to go back to that terrible place."
"... I can be a normal kid?" Sun whispered, his eyes wide. Mrs. Wukong's expression fell as she noticed Belle's expression, then she looked at Sun and grinned.
"You can be a normal kid." She assured, and Sun pumped his fist. "Now, run off and resign. When you come back, it's straight to bed." Sun nodded, beaming.
"Thanks, Mom!" He told her, then he looked at Belle. "I'll be back, soon! Go ahead and get some sleep!" Sun turned and ran off, and Belle watched him go with a frown.
"... What is it?" Mrs. Wukong asked, growing worried. Belle was silent for a moment, then she looked up at Mrs. Wukong.
"I'm remembering a friend... And I'm not letting it happen twice." The cat-Faunus announced softly. Mrs. Wukong blinked in surprise, and Belle turned and ran after Sun.
The Revival Train has no brakes!
... Just Blakes. XD
Meet Belle Belladonna, who is quite the opposite of her older twin Blake. When she is with people she is close to, she proves shy and uncertain. But if you give her an enemy or stranger, confidence abounds.
To those of you who have seen this story before, it's time for an explanation: I've been looking back on some of my older stories, and I'm trying to revive them by fixing the mistakes I made during my days as a more-inexperienced writer.
When I wrote this story, it was too ship-focused and lacked character-development, but now that I'm older and a little wiser, I think I can change all of my old stories for the better.
I'm not going to lie, I'm still as scattered and unfocused as ever - but I'm trying, guys.
Let's see how far we can go.
I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)