I told Yang why I was in Vale, and she said she was happy to help me out.
"Okay, so what did your teammates ask for?" The Blonde Brawler asked as we walked into a convenience store. I pulled out the list, looking it over.
"Neptune needs toothpaste and more blue hair-dye." I read the paper out loud. "Scarlet needs hair-gel, and Sage needs tea and sword polish." Yang nodded, taking the information in.
"Simple enough." She shrugged, then she raised an eyebrow. "You need anything?"
"Um... Bananas?" I winced after I said it. I found myself waiting for the stupid monkey pun, or some racist comment, but it didn't come.
"Okay!" Yang smiled enthusiastically. "I needed to pick up some strawberries for Ruby, anyway. I'll be right back." Yang grabbed a basket and walked off, returning with a HUGE bunch of bananas and a container of strawberries. I raised an eyebrow as we started walking again.
"Um... Why are you being so nice to me, Yang?"
"Huh?"
"We met all of three months ago, and I didn't make the best first-impression. But tonight, you saved me from those guys, and you're not..." I looked down slightly. Yang frowned, raising an eyebrow.
"Not what?" She asked. I didn't respond. "Sun, you don't know much about me, but I can't stand seeing how the Faunus are treated. Even before I knew about you-know-what, I was always against the racism and hate..." I looked up as the blonde placed a hand on my shoulder. "You won't get any of that from me."
"But why be so nice to me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Yang managed a small grin.
"Why not?" She asked in reply. My eyes widened, and I slowly smiled.
"Thanks."
"No prob."
/\
We drove through Vale, Yang blaring wild music from Bumblebee's speakers, me hanging onto her for dear life as the Blonde Brawler drove well over the speed limit. Normally, I wouldn't have minded, but I was starting to realize that she was far more unpredictable than I thought.
When we came to the airships and entered the student-parking area, Yang pulled off her helmet and shook her hair out, looking back at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Um, Sun?" Yang smiled uncomfortably. "I think you can let go of my waist, now." I quickly pulled away, my face turning red with embarrassment as I realized what I'd been doing.
"Sorry! Please, don't kill me!" I begged nervously. My traveling companion laughed, surprising me.
"Only because you're so funny when you're scared."
Uh...
Okay?
/\
We got on an airship to Beacon, and I looked down at my stomach. Several large bruises were forming.
"What am I going to tell the guys?" I wondered aloud. Yang and I were the only ones on the ship besides the pilot, who was up top in the pilot's deck. I knew I didn't have the aura to heal my injuries any time soon.
"The truth." Yang looked at me seriously. I looked down, sighing. "Sun... You act like nothing bothers you. When I first saw you, you looked so happy and carefree. But the guy I'm looking at right now looks like he's used to things like what happened tonight, and even worse... He's used to hiding it." I looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"How do you do that?"
"What?"
"Read people."
"Oh... When you're as emotionally unstable as I am, you tend to be able to see things like this." Yang crossed her arms. "So, either you tell your teammates, or I will."
"It's not Scarlet and Sage I'm worried about."
"Neptune?"
"Yeah... We've been friends since we were kids, but he's never really seen me after something like this."
"Why?"
"Neptune blames himself a lot when things go wrong. If he sees me like this, he'll blame himself for not being there... I hate people worrying."
"Well, try to see it from their point of view... Your best friend was out on the streets, alone. He gets the Hell beaten out of him by drunk Huntsmen, and you find out it's happened before." Yang glared. I cringed.
"Okay... Bad."
"Yeah. If I found out that any of my teammates were hiding that from me, I'd go out there with the intent of going to juvie for breaking legs."
"Protective, much?"
"Comes with the job. I'm a big sister, so it's instinct."
"I'd hate to see the first guy to ask Ruby out."
"Oh, they've tried. They don't get within ten yards."
"Yikes..."
/\
Yang helped me walk down the hallway to my dorm room.
"You sure I can't borrow that girl clown-paint and cover this up?"
"Makeup? Nope... Consider this an intervention."
"Why..?"
"Because I'm worried about you, you big idiot." Yang replied. I looked at her, surprised. "Imagine if I hadn't been in town tonight, or spent a few extra minutes beating up goons at Junior's nightclub, or went down another street?" I did not like that picture.
"Yang, I..." I looked down. Yang knocked on the door, crossing her arms. Scarlet answered, and his eyebrow raised.
"Yang?" He asked, confused. Yang held me up by the back of my shirt collar. How was she that strong?!
"We need to talk." The blonde brawler declared, pushing past Scarlet. How was she still carrying me?!
"Put me down!" I shouted. Yang rolled her eyes.
"Will you try to run?"
"Um..."
"Thought so." Yang smirked. Neptune and Sage came in as Yang dropped me on my bed, looking back. "What exactly kept you three from going with Sun to Vale? There had better be a good reason."
/\
A few minutes later, Yang had finished telling my team everything that had happened.
"So?" Yang glared. "What was so important that Sun had to go to town alone?" My teammates looked at me, eyes wide. I could already see Neptune blaming himself. Damn it...
"Dude, I'm sorry." My partner apologized, grimacing. There was the guilt... "If we'd known that the store was in that part of town, we'd-" Yang cut him off.
"Sun, I think it's time you tell them why I'm REALLY mad." Yang cracked her knuckles, and I gulped. "Now."
It wasn't a suggestion.
"Tonight wasn't exactly... The first time." I admitted, looking down. "More like the seventh... This year."
"WHAT?!" Sage asked, and I nearly fell off the bed. "WHAT THE HELL, SUN?!"
"I didn't want you guys to-"
"The same guys?!" Scarlet asked, his eyes narrowing. I shook my head.
"No, all different-"
"Why didn't you tell us?" Neptune asked, sounding a bit hurt. I looked down.
"I think Sun needs some rest." Yang sighed, crossing her arms again. She looked at me, managing a small smile. "Well, this is where I leave you. Have a good night." Yang turned to go.
"Yang." Neptune frowned, reaching out. The Blonde Brawler looked back, raising an eyebrow questioningly, and Neptune dropped his arm. "Thanks." Yang slowly smiled, her eyes going back to me.
"Any time." With that, she left. I stared after her for a long moment.
"Wow."
/\
A few minutes of silence later...
"This conversation isn't over." Sage declared as we got ready for bed. "We will be talking about this in the morning." I sighed, laying down.
"I know." I closed my eyes. "I know."
All I could see in my dreams that night were shadows. Shadows that were chased away by yellow fire.
Uh-oh. Sun's starting to develop these terrible little things called feelings. How does Yang feel? What's Sun going to do? Who will support/oppose this? I own nothing. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!
