Author's Notes:
Hey everyone, I'm back from hugging kangaroos and koalas and learning (and failing) to throw the boomerang~
Actually, I've been back for quite a while now, but, well… I've encountered a problem regarding school. It's not a serious problem (it's that the one causing that problem really, really offends me with their choice of words) and it won't affect my writing at all.
Glad to see no one complained about the last chapter, especially during the fight scene between Blake and the villain. I've never really taken an interest in fighting scenes in stories and I was quite nervous all of you would be able to tell how little I know about fights (which is ironic considering I used to do taekwondo).
Anyway, on to the story!
Beta:
FeugoFox42. Check out his stories, they are amazing and worth your time ^^
CHAPTER IV
Back to Normal
"So you don't remember anything after you went down there?" asked Ruby, who sat on her partner's side on their lower bunk, fidgeting and biting her lip - a nervous tick of hers.
Blake shook her head but cringed at the pain that the small action had caused. She could feel her team's gaze boring into her in distress and tried to wave it away with a stiff smile. "Not 'anything', but… certainly not a lot either." She frowned and looked down. "I don't know if some of them are even memories or just weird dreams, at this point."
And that bothered her more than they'd ever realized. It bothered her more with what she'd… discovered.
Weiss, who Blake could tell was as uneasy as her dolt of a partner, nodded pointedly. "That is to be expected. You took a hit to the head."
That was an understatement.
Blake cringed again, not at the pain this time, but because of the reminder and hazy memory that came with it. She knew that she wasn't hit at by a weapon, rather, someone had knocked her down…
The feeling of her head colliding against the cold, hard cement wasn't something she was able to forget so easily, unfortunately.
Something under her covers flicked, moved, Blake hastily grasped it with her hand, steadying it, making it seemed as if she was resting that hand on her bed, holding nothing but her blanket.
Judging by how they all seemed to be in deep thought - and were not at all skeptical - they hadn't noticed her slip-up. Which was… Which was good.
It seemed that they interpreted the fact that she covered herself with her blanket all the way to her shoulder because she was injured. That same interpretation could be held with how she hadn't gotten out of bed since that night…
Nothing more.
They didn't suspect that she was hiding anything big from them. If she was behaving oddly, they must've written it as one of the side effects of her injury. Her concussion and adrenaline from the mission, to be more exact.
Like her being jittery all morning. Or her never pulling down the blanket. Or her looking like she'd not slept at all… which… she hadn't.
Yeah. It was because of the injury… and adrenaline… and shock… and other factors as well…
Nothing… Nothing more…
"You have a severe concussion and several cuts all over your body," Yang spoke, looking at her in a way that reminded her of how an angry mother looked at her misbehaving child. "Cuts that don't seem to have come from weapons." Lilac eyes narrowed in anger.
"... It's… healing," she lamely answered.
Yang's eye twitched. Was Blake seriously going to downplay her injuries like they were nothing?!
After seeing the faunus pressing her hand on her head again, she shook her head, realizing she should yell at the recovering girl later… when she was recovered. "It doesn't matter anymore. You're okay. I'm okay. So everything's okay."
At that, Blake shot up from her bed, ignoring the cries of concern coming from the rest of the team.
"What do you mean everything's okay?!" she demanded, now upright. "Yang, they-"
"That's enough, Blake," snapped Yang, her tone low and husky. They all stared at her in shock. Never before had they seen her this mad before. Her eyes were a steady lilac, but with the rage it derived, it might as well be her semblance red. Her muscles flexing. The usual carefree attitude she carried gone. Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay? That's enough. You don't get to do that anymore, to obsess over the White Fang." She looked directly into Blake's wide, wavering eyes. "Not after what happened to you."
They stared into each other's eyes, no longer caring about the set of eyes watching them from the sides in equal parts sadness, worry, and interest.
Blake didn't understand why Yang was saying all of those things. Was she really going to abandon all of their hard work - her hard work?!
She- She needed to know everything there was to know about that place!
The thing she hid from them moved again, flicking.
Blake held onto it harder, willing it to stop moving.
Something was wrong with her. Obviously. And she was willing to bet it had something to do with what had happened, what she had forgotten. Which was why she had to know.
This wasn't just an obsession! This wasn't her being reckless again!
This was different!
"Yang," she started, "it-"
"NO!" She jolted from her partner's volume. They all did. This time, Yang's eyes really were a glowing shade of crimson. "I'm sick and tired of this! I don't want you running off on me again, dammit! Not even for something as important to you as the White Fang!" Blake stared as Yang slowly released her knuckles, her posture slackening, and her anger subsiding into… something else… something more intimate. "I mean, just look at you, Blake! You're not fine! You're obsessed over them! You're hurt because of it! One day you might even-" Yang stopped herself. She couldn't even finish that sentence. She didn't want to.
Blake… didn't know what to do, what to even say.
Slowly, she reached out towards her partner.
"Yang…"
The blonde was lost in her own world now, looking at the ground instead of anything else. "I was worried sick, Blake. I searched and searched and searched for you. All through that damned place, but there was no response, nothing. When the cops said they found something, I barged right past them just so I could be the first one to you, to see if you were there."
A small drip of wetness fell down from Yang's face. It hurt Blake to see that. She wanted to wipe it away. She wanted to kiss it away.
But Blake couldn't really do that, could she?
"But when I saw you… you were on the ground… bleeding… not moving." Yang's heart ached and jolted at the memory, making her shudder. She remembered… not feeling like herself. As if a part of her was taken. It was a horrible feeling. "I… didn't know what to do. You were hurt. More, you were injured. And that was - is - on me. I…"
I like you, Blake. I really, really like you, and I don't want to see you get hurt. It hurts me to see you in pain.
But Yang couldn't really say that, could she?
"I'm your partner. It's my job to look after you." Even when Yang felt like she was more than a partner. Even when she felt like it was more than a job.
Yang met Blake's eyes again. "I don't want that to happen again. I won't let it happen again. So, please… don't ever do this again."
There was so much despair in those lilac eyes. It wasn't right. They should be filled with warmth and happiness and every other positive thing, not this.
Blake wanted to tell her that she wasn't doing this because she enjoyed this, not because she wanted to, but it was because she had to.
She didn't.
"You're… You're right." Yang's eyes widened in shock. There was hopefulness in there too. "I'm sorry. I… I'll try not to obsess over them."
Blake's chest contracted in pain when she said that, knowing it was a lie.
She didn't say that because she really meant it.
She said that because she knew it would comfort her partner. It would bring a smile to her face again. It would make her happy.
Because Yang deserved to be happy, and not to worry about whatever was happening with Blake.
Because Yang deserved happiness… not what she was hiding.
Since last night, Blake had considered telling them. She'd almost sprinted and jumped onto her partner's bed, shaking her awake and crying out for her help.
But she held herself from doing so. And she didn't know why… not back then.
Now, though…
Now, she knew why…
Because she couldn't involve her team in this.
Because she couldn't involve Yang…
"That's…" Yang wanted her to stop thinking about the White Fang all together, but she sighed, knowing it was futile. "That'll have to do, for now."
Blake looked away, feeling her partner's eyes lingering on her until, eventually, Yang turned away, continuing on her morning routine, as did the rest of them.
The tail hidden beneath the cover flicked again. Blake's ears flattened as she bit her lip.
Dread. It consumed her.
...
It was nine. Ruby and Weiss had - reluctantly - gone to class some time ago, though not after making Blake promise that she'd call them if anything were to happen. Yang had stayed to make sure her partner was okay, despite it being Combat Class; the brawler's favorite class.
And Yang was okay with that. In fact, she didn't give a damn about missing any class so long as she was able to care for her partner.
She pretended to play with her games on Weiss' bunk, when really, she was checking in on her partner, subtly glancing at her every now and then, taking note of every detail.
She concluded that Blake… was uneasy.
Her ears, though not flattened, were tilted down. Her entire body was stiff like she was afraid of something. But what really gave it away was the fact that the bookworm had been 'reading' the same page for ten whole minutes.
Something's up with Blake.
Yang wasn't an idiot. And she could be perceptive when she wanted to be.
There was something her partner was afraid of. Something regarding last night. And how could she not? Even Yang was still uneasy with the things she saw that night.
What aren't you telling me, Partner?
"You know you can still go to class, right?"
Yang was offended. "What?! No way! I'm not leaving you here all alone!"
Blake stared at her in bewilderment and slowly said, "Yang. I am injured. Not disabled."
"You have a concussion!" Yang reasoned. "And, like, a dozen cuts! You're practically a mummy!"
Blake's bewilderment turned into annoyance. She did not appreciate being compared to a mythical monster with a horrible fashion statement.
"And they're already healing." She grasped one of the bandages and began tugging it. "Look-"
"No! Don't touch it!"
Yang was now facing Blake's bed, no longer laying down. Her arms were outstretched towards the bedridden girl.
Blake looked up at Yang… and pulled.
"Blake!"
"Yang. Look." The blonde did look… and gawked at the lack of red painting her partner's skin. "It's fine. See? They're practically nonexistent." Blake then grunted, "Aura. Don't forget about them."
Yang bent downwards, inspecting her partner further, gently grabbing her arm to do so. "I can sorta still see them…" Barely visible pink lines at where the deep cuts were.
After recovering from the flush that rose to her cheeks due to how close they were, Blake rolled her eyes. Her partner could be so dramatic sometimes. But I suppose that just goes to show how much she cares for me…
"They're almost done healing," Blake spoke in a gentle tone, catching Yang's hesitant eyes. "I don't even feel them anymore." For the most part. "I'll be fine for a few hours. If something happens I can just text you."
Truthfully, Blake was nowhere near okay. Her head was still pounding, and her train of thoughts was slowed down and was not as clear-cut as they usually were, especially with the added weight of… well… what was wrong with her.
"But my Scroll's missing…"
"I can text either Ruby or Weiss or JNPR," Blake quickly concluded, "and tell them to get you to come to me. Simple." Okay, well, it wasn't that simple, but it was practical. Yang was still anxious, so Blake grasped her hand, rubbing her fingers on her knuckles in a soothing manner. She gave the blonde a gentle smile. "I'll be fine, Yang. It's only for a few hours. I'm only going to stay here and read."
"I…" A soft sigh. "Okay… Fine... But don't read too much in case your head hurts!"
"I won't."
"And you should text me every hour! To update on your wellbeing!"
"Your Scroll's gone," Blake pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"You should text Ruby every hour!"
"Great," she deadpanned.
"This is serious business, Belladonna!" Yang pointed an accusing finger towards her. "If anything happens you tell any of us ASAP, got it!?"
"You're overdoing it a little, Partner."
"Am not!" denied Yang. "And don't forget to cover yourself! It's cold, you might get sick!"
"Yang, I am seventeen-"
"You can borrow my coat since yours is destroyed," she helpfully provided. "And don't forget to catch some sleep!"
Blake tried to keep her poker face. But it broke quickly afterward. She couldn't help it. Yang was so sweet. "Alright, Yang. Thank you. For everything."
This time, it was Yang who rolled her eyes. She, without much thinking, said, "Duh. You're amazing. Of course I'd give you my everything."
… Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Blake was looking at her with a mixture of concern and shock and something else she was too panicked to try to find out.
She mustered a cocky grin, flipped her hair backward, and winked at Blake in what would hopefully be perceived as friendly-teasing. "You are my partner, after all." Blake looked more at ease after that, but the tension still hung in the air. So, being the flustered teen that she was, the blonde strode to the door with a simple, "Welp! Better get going, then!"
She grabbed the handle, twisted it, but as her foot was dragged up and away from the room…
She heard a very faint, very weak-sounding "Y-Yang?"
Her partner slowly turned around, wary. Blake couldn't blame her. She failed to suppress the fear in her voice, after all. Even if she did suppress it, Yang would see through to her anyway.
"Yeah? Do you need anything?" The tone was gentle, welcoming. It made it seem like Yang would accept whatever she was about to say no matter what.
Blake couldn't look at her anymore. "It's…" She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how she should say it. She bit her lip, twisting the sheet rather roughly.
She looked back at Yang again, who was patient and still. Waiting for her.
She…
She couldn't…
"Don't fall asleep in class, got it?" She gave Yang her knowing smirk, which was returned by a crooked smile and a short, bright laugh.
"I totally will but thanks anyway!"
Yang hurriedly closed the door, too embarrassed to muster enough courage to look at Blake one last time.
She let her back leaned against the cold walls of the hallway, counting herself lucky that no one was here to see her be like this.
That…
That was close.
That was really close…
Not only had she almost confessed, but that was the first time she'd ever accidentally slipped up.
She'd been careful at masking her feelings towards her partner.
She'd managed to convince that the reason why she had touched Blake's face was because she was worried her partner gained a fever, and not because her urges told her to in order to admire that porcelain, perfect skin.
She'd managed to convince that the reason why she stared at Blake for so long was that there was something on her face and not because she was simply drawn to her beauty.
Every time she did a romantic act, she'd covered it splendidly with platonic reasoning.
… Until now.
She'd been so obvious. So forward. So unashamed of it.
And she couldn't understand why.
Yang lightly bumped her head against the flat surface.
Maybe… I really need to think about this… thing…
I think it's time… I… do something…
It was more than a simple crush. Far more.
And she needed to do something about it.
...
Yang was gone… and with her, disappeared the lighthearted, cheerful, warm atmosphere as well.
Blake's smile faltered and vanished in less than seconds.
Her shoulders slumped. She gripped the sheets tighter until her hands were shaking.
Why can't you just tell her? She stared glassy-eyed at where Yang was moments ago. Her smile was embedded in her mind. They were all always so accepting, so hopeful. Not like her.
You know she'll help you.
She'll always help you.
Why are you hiding?
This was… If she kept going like this- if she didn't tell them- any of them, then… then… it was going to be a repeat of the docks incident.
She was brave back then, wasn't she? She'd confronted her team, explained herself, and asked for their forgiveness. They'd welcomed her. They'd accepted her.
But… then again… she hadn't truly opened up to them, had she?
She didn't willingly show them that she was a faunus.
No.
She'd… she'd let it slip during an argument. She hadn't wanted them to know. She never wanted them to find out. Not so soon.
Don't repeat your past mistakes!
Learn from them!
Don't let it happen again!
They're your team!
They need to know!
… Yes, but… not now. Not if she could fix this by herself.
Are you even listening to yourself?!
She was. She did listen.
But there was something inside her- something primal- something that was always there within her from the very beginning.
A need to hide. A need to run.
It whispered that this was different, this was more urgent, and she didn't have time for this.
It was as if… she had no choice but to hide.
Blake sighed. She only now realized that she was trembling again.
She stood up from her bed, letting the sheets swiveled down, revealing what she'd dreaded to see. The cause of her dilemma.
The tail that was attached to her.
The tail that hadn't been there all of her life.
The tail that was currently swishing back and forth freely.
She scowled at it and grabbed at it only to recoil when it nearly flicked her in the face as if it had a mind of its own.
You need to go to the infirmary. But tell them what? That she'd suddenly grown a tail overnight? What would they say? What would they do? They'd experiment on her- she was sure, after all, this wasn't anything normal- people like to prod with things that weren't normal-
Calm down. You're overreacting. Beacon wouldn't do anything to hurt you.
Except she couldn't be sure.
Except they could very well do that to her.
What happened?
What happened?
What happened?
Blake grabbed her tail again with a harsh grip, ignoring the pain that shot through to it.
She looked at it as if it served her the answers she needed.
It didn't.
It kept moving. Swishing. Flicking. Little but noticeable movements.
A part of her was freaking out.
This- This wasn't normal. She'd grown a tail, for fuck's sake.
But, oddly enough, that part of her was… distant.
Blake was calm, though she knew she shouldn't be.
She closed her eyes, took a withering, deep sigh, concentrated…
And tried to remember.
Images. Blurred, hazy images. They were dark. And she couldn't discern what they were, what they meant.
The more she tried to remember, the worse her headache grew.
Blake involuntarily stopped with a gasp when the pain became unbearable.
She couldn't remember. No matter how much she wanted to.
There was something she was missing- something she knew was hidden from her- from everyone, even.
Last night, something- no, someone had changed her. Had made her this way.
And she…
She intended to find this person. She needed to. If he was able to turn her this way, then he was able to change her back.
What about your team?
What they didn't know won't hurt them.
Luckily, she was able to handle this situation without anyone getting involved. This was her problem. Not theirs.
What about Yang?
… She couldn't hurt Yang. Not again. Blake had seen the sorrow in her eyes - sorrow that should never have existed in those beautiful bright eyes - and that sorrow was caused by her.
She should've never involved Yang.
No. She couldn't hurt Yang. Not again. She didn't deserve this. Blake didn't deserve her, either. This was Blake's fight, not hers. Yang deserved the sense of relief, of thinking that everything was okay. Blake didn't want her to be in pain. She didn't want her to worry.
She loved her too much for that.
An image flashed through her head. A memory, even. A person. A fox faunus. Looking down at her. Leering. Then, he saw something- from behind him- something she couldn't see… and he ran.
He…
He wasn't captured.
Blake slowly put her hand on her mouth, covering it as a new sense of dread washed over her.
He's still out there. Somewhere.
And no one knows about it.
The authorities… Professor Goodwitch… They wouldn't be able to help her. She doubted they were able to track him as fast as she could. They were still busy capturing and interrogating the members that they couldn't bother wondering about the mastermind- who really was behind all of this.
I…
I need to find him.
Because in her eyes, he was the only one able of turning her back to normal.
Of turning everything back to normal.
Of giving Yang what she wanted.
No matter the cost.
...
A hand was slammed onto her desk, the sound echoing in the empty classroom, startling her. Oh. The class had ended. She hadn't realized that. "Spill."
She looked up, finding a pair of silver eyes glaring down at her with a mixture of concern, curiosity, and… daggers. A whole bunch of 'em.
Yang winced, poorly feigning innocence. "Whatever do you mean, dear sister?"
She winced harder when her sister's partner - who sat right next to her, trimming her nails as she put one leg above the other - snorted. "Don't think we haven't noticed how weird you've been acting ever since you got home last night. You were tired all morning despite being uninjured, and you didn't pay attention to what should've been your favorite class. You're lucky you weren't called out to a fight. I doubt you'll be able to handle a fight with Arc in your state."
The worst part was that the Princess was right. She was restless all night, and when sleep did come to her, it dragged her to the memory of her partner, motionless, bloodied.
But the lack of sleep wasn't what truly distracted her from the world… no… it was… something else.
"Is it because of what you saw?" Yang slowly looked back up. Ruby still looked small ever when she was standing up, towering over her. She looked scared. Scared for her. "Miss Goodwitch told us that… that the base turned out to be…"
Her sister struggled to find the words, so her partner found it for her. "Shady. Off. More than what you're supposed to be handling. More than the members themselves could handle, apparently." Intelligent, calculating blue found and bore into tired lilac. "Especially since it wasn't you two who'd reported whatever strange activity had been occurring inside that warehouse."
Slowly, she shook her head, heaving a sigh that was forlorn - unlike her usual self.
"No, it's not that…" Sure, she had questions. And worries. But that wasn't what she'd been thinking about. That wasn't what had distracted her during class and, well, the entirety of her day. No, it's…
"It's about Blake, isn't it?"
Yang snapped her head back at Weiss, whose face was as stern as ever, but whose eyes had a sense of understanding in them.
The blonde leaned back to her chair, admitting, "Yeah… Yeah, it is." She wasn't surprised they knew. After she'd exploded earlier that morning, they'd have to be blind not to know. Or deaf, she supposed. "When… When I saw Blake like that… It… It made me realize just how… how much I care for her."
"Well, obviously," chirped Ruby. "You're her partner! Of course you care about her!"
Oh, Ruby. If only you knew.
"Then you understand why I'm so worried." When the petite girls looked at each other in confusion, she sighed, rolling her eyes. "You do realize that Blake's hiding something from us, right?"
"Well, yeah… but… it's Blake."
Yang grunted. That was a good point. Her partner was known to be secretive, but… "Why hasn't she told us anything? Why does she feel the need to keep it a secret?"
"Maybe it's because she's scared?" Ruby offered, trying to ease the tension.
Yang shook her head. "That's all the more reason to confide in us." In me, she didn't say. "We're her teammates. Her friends. Doesn't she trust us?" Doesn't she trust me? Yang bit her lip, her cheeks reddening at both Ruby and Weiss' shocked glances. "We should go."
The partners looked at each other again, communicating with only their eyes. Weiss nodded, stern. Afterward, Ruby, though more hesitantly, nodded as well.
"Yeah, sure thing, Yang."
She smiled a crooked smile, willing to let this matter drop and pretended like it never happened as she went on with her day.
They didn't understand.
How could they?
They didn't see what she'd seen.
Why are you still worried? a voice asked. Don't you want this to be over?
Yeah, but…
To Blake, this wasn't over.
And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let her fall into that shithole again!
TO BE CONTINUED
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Author's Notes:
Woof. What a chapter. White Rose finally makes their appearance. Yang is still disturbed by the events that had happened, more so than she realises, and her response to Blake's "unnecessary worries" have a great impact to the story, so do pay attention to that.
I'm honestly still quite tired after getting back from school, so I have nothing else to say other than thank you for reading, constructive criticisms are always appreciated, I hope you have a great day today, and see you next time~