Chapter Four: Confrontation
Sun slouched over the back of a chair, leaning his chin on his arms as his tail twitched. Blake felt the monkey Faunus's eyes on her but ignored him, focusing on sorting through their supplies. They had plenty of food left, though Blake was quickly growing tired of eating things from packets. The airship only had a small microwave with no oven in sight, so they were forced to rely on that to warm any meals.
The others left her to it, lingering on the opposite side of the cargo hold as they played games and swapped stories to pass the time. All except Sun, who dragged a chair over and decided to stare. He did nothing but look at her and eventually Blake's patience wore out.
"Do you need something?" she asked, turning to him.
"Not me in particular." Sun said casually. "When are you going to talk to Yang?"
Blake's shoulders tensed and she put down a box with more force than necessary, making it crumple. "Why do I need to do that?"
"You've been avoiding her." Sun stated.
"We're on a small ship." Blake said tersely. "How could I—?"
"You've still managed to avoid talking to her." Sun interrupted sternly. "You two need to talk. Alone. Preferably before you blow up at each other in the middle of Atlas. Or have you failed to notice how her eyes turn red whenever you speak?"
Blake's ears flattened against her head. "I'm giving her time to cool down."
"I think that 'time' you're giving her is just making her angrier." Sun said bluntly. "Talk to her. Don't make me bring Ruby over here and put a target on your back."
Blake winced. She could already picture Yang spotting her sister with her partner and storming over like a rabid bull, trying to murder Blake with her glare alone. "Fine. I'll talk to Yang."
"The bathroom should give you privacy to make up." Sun offered.
Blake nodded unhappily. "Yeah."
She picked her way through the supplies and approached Yang, who was laughing at something Feliciano had said. The brawler noticed her and her eyes turned red, her smile vanishing in an instant. Feliciano froze like a rabbit caught between two wolves.
Blake cleared her throat. "Can I talk to you?"
Yang's eyes stayed red. "Fine."
Blake nodded and led her out of the cargo hold, feeling everyone's eyes on her back.
"I hope Yang does not blow up the ship." Ivan said cheerfully, loud enough for both to hear.
Blake winced but ignored him, ushering Yang into the bathroom and locking the door. The brawler leaned against the door, blocking the way out and leaving Blake hovering by the sink.
"Well?" she asked coolly.
Blake shifted her weight uncomfortably. "We need to talk about… things."
Yang said nothing. Her red eyes never strayed from Blake's face.
The Faunus's ears flattened against her head. "I'm sorr—"
"Don't you dare." Yang hissed. "Don't you dare apologize."
Blake cringed. "Then what do you want me to do?"
She did not expect Yang to respond so quickly. "Admit you were a damn idiot." She snarled.
Blake's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"
"You ran off to Menagerie without telling us anything." Yang snapped. "You abandoned our team."
"I was trying to protect you from Adam." Blake said.
"By running off and not even leaving a note with a warning that 'Hey, Adam might go after you and your family. Watch out.'?" Yang demanded. "And don't give me that 'protection' bullshit. My world doesn't revolve around you and your past. I'm going to be in danger whether you're 'responsible' or not. I'm a Huntress, Blake. Danger is part of my job."
"Adam was going to kill you." Blake said, shakiness slowly giving way to anger.
"And how would staying away from us prevent him from going after us when you aren't there?" Yang countered sharply. "How does that work?"
Blake bit her lip. "The White Fang—"
Yang scoffed. "It's always about the White Fang. It's always about you and your past. I got my arm chopped off trying to help you and you left without saying goodbye." Furious red eyes locked with stunned yellow. "In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. You said it yourself. You always run. What's to keep you from running again at the next sign of trouble, huh?"
"I've changed." Blake claimed.
Red eyes glared at her, piercing her soul. "Have you? Look me in the eye and say you won't abandon us again. Not to run, not because of some White Fang plot somewhere, not to 'protect us', and not some other bullshit excuse to cover up that you're a coward."
Blake said nothing, her heart constricting in her chest.
Yang laughed, soft and brittle. "That's what I thought. You can't." She made to leave but Blake grabbed her arm. Red eyes turned a deeper crimson. "Let go of me."
"No." Blake said. "I won't run again. I swear."
"I don't believe you." Yang said coolly.
Blake stared at her blankly. Yang might as well have slapped her across the face. "I'm ready to face my past. I came back to the team." She said weakly.
"No." Yang stated. "You didn't. You just happened to run into us at Haven. If we weren't there, you never would have come back to us."
"I would!" Blake denied.
"After how long?" Yang challenged. "Years? Your priorities were never becoming a Huntress or staying with our team. They always revolved around Adam and the White Fang, and the White Fang wouldn't fall in a night. If we weren't at Haven, you'd still be running after Adam."
Blake couldn't deny it.
Yang crossed her arms, glare never weakening. "Yes, you didn't know about Salem and the Relics. Yes, the White Fang is a threat. But we are a team. We tell each other things. We fight together. You never remember that. You always insist on doing things alone over and over and over." Her eyes turned a dull blue. "All this proves is you still don't trust us at all, even after everything. You don't trust our capabilities, our ability to protect ourselves, or our team. You didn't trust us to help and defend you."
"I'm sorry." Blake whispered.
Yang's expression did not soften. "I know you are. But I don't trust you to stay anymore."
Blake wanted nothing more than the floor to open up and swallow her.
Yang yanked her arm free of the stunned Faunus's hold. "I'll fight alongside you for Ruby's sake but don't think I forgive you. Next time you decide to ditch our team, at least leave a note."
She opened the door, slamming it behind her, and left Blake alone in the bathroom.
XXXXXXX
The blast hit Penny and she curled over and clutched at her chest, eyes wide with agony. The wires wrapped around Penny's arms and midsection, tearing through her with the hair-raising shriek of abused metal. Her body collapsed onto the arena floor in pieces, pupils expanding in a horrifically human way—
Smash!
America's shoe struck the screen, shattering it into pieces. The easel tipped over as shards of glass fell to the floor, and a few flew far enough to slice America's sock. He brushed the shards away from his standing spot, breathing heavily, and hunched his shoulders, covering his ears in the futile hope of erasing the sound of screeching metal from his mind.
He'd fallen asleep— or, more likely unconscious from exhaustion— to the sound and he woke to the sound until it was engraved in his mind in a way he feared would never leave. He knew the sounds and sights of Penny's death better than some of his own memories, and if Polendina wanted him to teeter closer to a breakdown he was succeeding. America wanted to think he was strong-willed but seeing his friend bisected over and over again was wearing down on him and literally haunting his nightmares.
Like he always did when waking, America did a cursory scan of his surroundings, noting nothing amiss around him except the glass all over the floor. He looked down at his shirt and frowned, giving it a short sniff. It smelled washed and clean. He quickly realized someone had changed his clothes— and maybe sprayed him down if the slight dampness of his hair was any indication— while he was unconscious. Deciding not to focus on the fact that someone— likely the soldiers— had stripped him while he was unaware, he scowled at the infuriating gall of his captors.
Of course they would not let him out of the room while he was awake. That would be too risky for them and would give him a chance to understand his surroundings. The only other room he was aware of was the bathroom, which sadly was attached directly to this room, ensuring he did not need to go down a hallway to do his business. There was no way to count steps to a different location, no new information to be gained, and nothing he could use in the bathroom to escape, only a toilet and sink. There was not even a mirror, though the reflection on the faucet was enough for him to see his disheveled appearance and tired, mismatched blue and green eyes.
America had maybe thought— hoped— his regained memories would erase the sign of Vale's Aura residing in his body but his left eye remained green. He still had a foreign soul inside him and—although Vale's memories and dare he say presence had been wonderfully quiet ever since he woke in the new lab— sometimes the realization that there was another soul somewhere in there made America want to claw at his own skin to get the thing forced inside him out—
America leaned over Not-Penny's table, forcing himself to breathe evenly. Flickers of pain stabbed through his chest and he bit his lip, holding in a hysterical sob.
It's too early to freak out, he told himself sternly. Having a mental breakdown won't help anybody.
Except he was as stuck as ever. He had made no progress in finding information or planning an escape. Here he was, sitting around locked in a room, as trapped as the weakest of damsels in distress. He could not even shout insults at his captors to pass the time or show bravado, forced into silence by the gag.
But he was not helpless. He wasn't. He would figure something out. He would find the cracks in their plan and tear at them until their plots crumbled before them. Either through rescue or his own actions, he would not let them keep him here forever.
No one is coming for you, the voice whispered. You can't rely on them to save you.
America ignored the voice and its negativity. Things weren't like they were when he had amnesia. He knew his family again. They were coming for him. They wouldn't let him down. He'd be fine.
He shut his eyes and—
Pyrrha staggered into a standing position and Penny knocked her weapons away, bringing her swords back to 'float' above her shoulders, splitting them into eight. The champion backed up slightly, expression uneasy, before panic flashed across her face. Penny threw the swords and Pyrrha flung her arms out forcefully, sending out a magnetic blast. The blast hit Penny and she curled over and clutched at her chest, eyes wide with agony. The wires wrapped around Penny's arms and midsection, tearing through her with the hair-raising shriek of abused metal—
XXXXXXX
"This is amazing." Finland gasped, looking at the emerald woods delightedly.
The nations of the Anti-Grimm Taskforce— name pending— stood in a forest created by Tony's hologram room, most reacting with awe while some kept moodily stern countenances. Tony had welcomed the nations into the mansion to let them use it willingly enough— he only threatened to throw them out on their ears this time rather than bodily harm— but Germany still felt like a trespasser in America's home. He shook such feelings away, looking over his forces.
Romania prodded a tree with a fascinated expression. Korea declared he had invented the machine. Sweden stood in the shadows menacingly. Switzerland hovered near Liechtenstein, eying the woods suspiciously. Hungary twirled her rifle in her hands eagerly while Austria looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Spain bounced on his heels, grinning. Denmark boasted about something to Norway, who listened with a disinterested expression while Poland asked Lithuania if he thought there were any animals around.
They were not all the members of the taskforce, but they were the first Germany decided to train. He would not call them the 'A-Team' or anything, but they were the ones most likely to face Grimm based on where the portals appeared. Not that any of them knew that. Germany, Prussia, and China kept that knowledge to themselves.
"This is pretty cool, but why are we here?" Spain asked.
"You are here to run battle simulations with the Grimm." Germany explained.
"I don't need battle simulations." Denmark boasted.
"Then prove it." Germany said, unyielding. "But know this: if a single one of you 'dies' during the simulation, you all fail."
Protests sounded around the room.
Germany silenced them with a glare. "To be effective, you must work as a team. That includes ensuring none of your teammates are taken by the Grimm."
"But I thought you said Remnant couldn't open portals here. They can't whisk us away to the other world." Korea pointed out.
Germany gave him a flat stare. "Do I need to remind you what Grimm do to humans? We'd survive it."
Korea winced. "Point taken."
"So we need to work together?" Liechtenstein piped up, holding a gun that looked far too big for her. Germany knew she could use it, though.
He nodded. "Yes. Your first priority is always to protect each other and any civilians in danger. Your second is to kill the Grimm."
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Poland asked quizzically. "Like, Grimm first, civilian saving second."
"Would you let your people die?" Germany shot at him.
"…Oh." Poland murmured. "Okay. I get it. Duh."
"What are we fighting?" Finland asked.
"I'm not telling you." Germany said bluntly.
"What?" Lithuania stammered.
"You heard me. We will not always know what we are facing. You must be prepared for surprises."
"We're not rookies." Switzerland growled.
"When it comes to fighting Grimm, you are." Germany said firmly. "Not all of them are mindless animals. Some are frightfully intelligent, so you need to be prepared." He straightened his shoulders. "I will count down to the simulation and leave you to it."
With that, he left to go to the control room. Prussia and China were inside with the white-haired nation grinning madly.
"Kesesese!" he cackled. "Can I start the session now?"
"What did you set up?" Germany asked cautiously.
"It is not too scary but it will certainly make them see the dangers." China assured him vaguely.
"Are you sure?" Germany asked, recalling his brother's vigorous— also known as ruthless, torturous, and brutal— training regimens from times gone by.
"They'll be fine." Prussia said dismissively. He pressed the start button.
Germany watched the light blink cheerily and sighed. "I was supposed to give them a warning."
"There are no warnings in battle. Go, my evil army of darkness! Go!" Prussia cheered.
In the hologram forest, red eyes appeared among the trees.
Austria stepped back, bumping into Hungary. "I thought he was going to count."
"Apparently not." Switzerland said calmly, raising his gun. "Stay together."
The hologram Beowolves lunged. Switzerland got the first kill, with Finland as a close second, and two wolves faded into black smoke. The Grimm— unarmored and young— fell easily to the nations' gunfire.
Denmark laughed. "This is too eas— Bird!"
He tackled Finland aside as huge black feathers riddled the ground, sinking deep into the forest floor. The Nevermore shrieked and flung more flechette-like feathers. The nations were forced to take cover in the trees. A horrific shriek made their hair stand on end and Griffons spawned from the woods like bees from a broken hive, circling around the nations in a huge, black tornado.
Lithuania raised his gun and fired, aiming for the fleshy area below the beak. The others followed suit but more and more Grimm emerged, turning the shadows into thousands of blinking red eyes.
"There's so many." Poland began to shake. "L-Liet?"
A Griffon lunged for him, mouth open wide enough to swallow him whole. Poland froze, eyes growing huge. Hungary bashed the Grimm away with her frying pan, leaving her back exposed, and an Alpha pounced at her from behind. Austria shoved her away, falling into its claws. It did not hesitate to turn tail and bolt towards the woods with its prize.
"Let him go!" Hungary screamed.
She jumped onto its back and shot it directly in the skull. At least, she would have if not for the bone plating blocking the bullet. Liechtenstein's bullet hit its leg, bringing the Alpha down, and upon realizing it was beaten, the Grimm's jaws locked around Austria's throat—
The Grimm vanished.
"Simulation: Failed." A robotic voice stated.
The room cleared, leaving it empty and blue. Austria sat up and Hungary rushed to his side, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry." She said, voice unsteady. "I— I panicked. I forgot it wasn't real."
"If it was real, Austria's Aura would have protected him." Germany said, entering the room once more. "But that does not mean you passed."
"I should have shot it between the bone plating." Liechtenstein said softly.
"That's right." Germany said, pretending not to notice Switzerland's burning glare. "When fighting Grimm, always shoot to kill. They are not animals or living things. They are monsters, demons, and soulless husks that only seek to destroy. That being said, this was not your fault, Liechtenstein. At least you tried to help Austria."
A few nations winced. Switzerland muttered something about non-combatants staying off the battlefield. Germany chose to ignore him.
"We get it." Denmark said tiredly, raising a hand. "Grimm are dangerous, we can't get cocky in battle, and we need to fight together and watch out for each other. We get it."
"I hope that you do." Germany said sincerely. "This taskforce is not meant for seeking glory. It is meant to protect this world from the threat the Grimm possess. It may be easy for us to take out hordes of Grimm, but civilians will fall to them like dead grass to a scythe. We must defend them."
Diverse faces hardened and there were nods from multiple nations.
Germany's lips twitched in the slightest approving smile. "Excellent. Now that you understand, we can begin with a less strenuous—"
A series of beeps sounded around the room, making multiple nations shriek. Others reached for their phones, eyes widening at the alerts they received. Germany's breath caught. Apparently the Taskforce summons alert system was working—
Germany's phone gave a shrill ring. He frowned and took it out, schooling his expression as he recognized the number. It was given to him by America's boss, who mentioned it belonged to "people tracking the Grimm situation". Germany had a feeling the President secretly had his own agency working on the Grimm problem but did not dare ask.
He answered the call. "Hello?"
"Mr. Ludwig Beilschmidt?" a male voice with a clearly American accent asked.
"That is me."
The American took an audible, shuddering breath. "Sir, a Grimm has been spotted near Bazine, Kansas, USA. We're watching it through our drone's cameras now. It's in the countryside, mostly a farming area—"
"What kind of Grimm?" Germany asked sharply.
He could feel the eyes of all the nations on him.
"I don't know, sir." The man said apologetically. "This one isn't in the files you gave us. It's some type of bird but it doesn't look like a Never— Jesus!"
"What happened?" Germany demanded, hand clenching around the phone. "Agent? Answer me!"
"I'm fine." The American said shakily, voice strained. "It's the Grimm. It's setting the land on fire."
Germany cursed mentally. Naturally the first Grimm they'd have to face would be an unknown with special abilities. Because why would they face anything remotely easy for their first mission? "We'll head out straight away. If you can, evacuate the town and keep the firefighters in a different area than the Grimm."
"I don't think the town's firefighters can handle this fire. The whole population's barely over 300. But understood, sir. Hurry."
Germany hung up and turned to the others. "There is an unknown Grimm near Bazine, Kansas. It is a type of bird that can set things on fire."
"Like an evil Phoenix?" Poland questioned.
"Definitely stronger than a Beowolf." Spain pointed out.
"Oh, great." Lithuania breathed.
"We have to fight one already?" Austria asked tightly.
"If you didn't want to kill Grimm, why are you here? Why are you trying to fight?" Switzerland demanded.
Austria did not reply.
"No time for chatter. We need to move." Germany said. "Tony will take us in his ship. It's the fastest vehicle we have."
"I've always wanted to ride in a flying saucer." Denmark squealed, running out the door.
The other nations followed, leaving China, Germany, and Prussia lingering at the back. The white-haired nation chuckled humorlessly and spoke too low for the others to hear.
"Well. It looks like training is over. This is going to be a disaster."
XXXXXXX
One of the many problems with traveling in such a small ship was the lack of privacy. Ruby tried not to let it bother her as she marched up to Yang, who sat in a corner playing Remnant: The Game with Matthew, Feliciano, and Jaune. With the exception of the twin, they all had resigned expressions, indicating Matthew would soon be claiming the win again. They all looked up as Ruby approached.
"Hey, sis." Yang said cheerfully. "Want to play?"
"I need to talk to you about something really important." Ruby said.
Yang immediately stood, and Ruby briefly felt guilty for using the little-sister-in-need card against her. But if she said the real reason for her request, Yang would pull away and ignore her with eyes burning red. Ruby tried not to think about that as her sister followed her to a more secluded section of the ship.
"What's up, sis?" Yang asked. Her violet eyes softened. "You doing okay?"
"I'm fine." Ruby said, bracing herself. "Blake is in the bathroom. I think she's crying."
Yang's expression closed off. "I won't apologize."
She turned to leave but Ruby stepped in her path, arms outstretched. "Why not?" she asked. "Aren't you happy she's back?"
"Why would I be?" Yang asked coolly. "Blake's unreliable. She'll ditch us as soon as she gets word of some White Fang plot somewhere."
Ruby balked. "You don't mean that."
"I do." Yang stated. "You saw her at Mantle. She would have jumped out of the airship to save the Faunus there if there were any left."
Ruby winced.
"…That I didn't mean." Yang admitted. "But you know what I'm talking about. Blake has this, this mindset that she has to do everything alone and her opinion is the only one that matters. She doesn't think about what other people want. And until she proves that she as loyal to us as much as I was to her, I'm not forgiving her. And I'm sure as hell not comforting her."
"She's your partner. Your friend. Our friend." Ruby whispered.
"She is." Yang agreed steadily. "But she's also still the same paranoid girl who ran away the moment she let slip she was a Faunus. She's the same girl who trusted a guy she just met with her story over us. She's the same stupid loner that insisted on taking on Torchwick and the White Fang alone. She keeps going through the same problems over and over without trying to do things any differently and while letting her past control her life. Why would she suddenly change her ways now, stop running, and trust us?"
"I don't know." Ruby said, her heart heavy in her chest. "But I think you should give her a chance to prove herself."
"I'm giving her a 'chance' by not demanding she run off with her tail between her legs again." Yang said coldly. Without warning, her angry mask shattered, revealing something broken underneath. Tears swam in her crimson eyes. "She abandoned me, Ruby. She knew about my mom, but she abandoned me anyway when I needed her most. She didn't even say goodbye."
Red eyes turned an unhappy blue and Ruby rushed to her sister's side, holding her and allowing her to muffle her sobs against her shoulder. Finally, she understood the base of why Yang was so angry at Blake. Not just for her repeated tendency to block her friends out, but her apparent abandonment of them after Yang lost an arm to protect her. Seeing that from Yang's perspective, Ruby could no longer force her sister to comfort the Faunus. She could not demand they mend bonds because she, Ruby, believed they shouldn't be fighting. The damage was much deeper than she anticipated.
When they reunited, Ruby thought everything would be back to normal.
Instead, her team was more fractured than ever.
XXXXXXX
A/N: Oh boy I had a fun week. My computer decided to die on Tuesday night with no warning and I had to rush to get a new one. Thank goodness I had the chapters saved elsewhere.
I hope that Yang's actions this chapter seem at least a little justified to you. Nothing against Blake but she seriously messed up and now we get to see the consequences of her decisions.
Seriously, if RT has Yang forgive Blake in the show without any type of confrontation or drama I will be so mad. I hope that final scene with RWBY reuniting 'happily' was done just to wrap things up nicely and they're saving a bitter confrontation for Volume 6. I'm not asking for a physical fight or something. Just an argument or heated discussion, at least. Some people say Yang looked unhappy to see Blake when she showed up at Haven and although I'm not sure if that's true, I really hope it is. If not… Oh boy imma be MAD. This can't just be brushed aside.
Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, etc!
To agentl3: Thanks for the review! T-Turn on PMs? ...NEVER! (runs away screaming)
