A/N: Return to Yharnam has been a lot of fun so far! Taking on Martyr Logarius at level 30 is ridiculously difficult, but that's the cost of wanting Chikage as early as possible, haha. Playing Bloodborne this much again has reminded me how much I love the Doll and how interesting her dialogue is. Have you guys been playing as well?

Chapter 7: Awake, Dear Heart!

Henryk found himself standing in a cold and desolate land. The dark attire of his hunters' garb contrasted the blanket of snow he was surrounded by, as if he were an ink splatter on a barren canvas. He held his hand out, allowing the gentle snow to fall upon his glove. The Hunter exhaled deeply, watching his breath disrupt the frigid air. He looked up once again, taking in his surroundings. There was nothing of note to discern where he was. It was cold, dark, and gentle. Henryk almost feared to take a step, wishing not to disturb the snowfall around him. The only defining feature was the uninterrupted horizon, drawing a boundary between the black sky and the white snow. The land made him listless—a desire to stay here and forget his obligations. Was he obligated to anything? Perhaps his duty was over. There were many who very much capable of carrying out his last burden—the slaying of beasts. For he was sure the Nightmare was over.

"Oh, a visitor," a voice spoke with an accent he did not recognize. Henryk turned around, finding a young girl standing in its place. The petite young girl wore a flowing black dress, lacking any distinctive features. The same can be said about the black cap that sat upon her head. However, her eyes made up for the lacking distinctiveness of her attire. The girl's eyes glowed golden hues with striking snake-like pupils that stared up at him curiously. At the edges of her eyes looked to be wrinkles, but upon closer inspection, they were actually scales as pale as her skin. Those same scales could be found on her exposed neck, clasped hands, and bare feet on the snow.

"I do not get many visitors," the dainty young girl said with the faintest smile on her face. Henryk couldn't stop staring into her remarkable eyes. He felt as though she could see through him—see everything. The Hunter realized that in this wintry land where he could see no one else but the two of them, that he was the intruder. This place was hers.

"I do not think you are intruding. You are correct in one way though. This is my world and I welcome you to it." She spoke with the same smile remaining on her face.

The Hunter was surprised from the remark. She could hear his thoughts. Was she a god?

"I am no god, but I did create this world. I made it for people like you." The girl's smile broadened before she took a few steps back and began skipping around. "Do you like it?" Henryk observed the girl curiously. Her movements didn't make any sounds at all. The way she pranced was both playful and balletic, yet she didn't leave a single trace upon the snow in her wake.

"What do you mean, for people like me?" The ever inquisitive Hunter asked.

"I made this world. It is cool, quiet, and mellow. I knew that one day, it would make a goodly home. For people like you," she finally stopped after a large hop, this time a cloud of snow fluttering into the air as she stomped down, before it began to fall gently once again. "People who seek refuge away from the Waking World. People who want nothing more than peace and tranquility."

The Waking World? Very few would call it as such. Only the inhabitants of the Hunter's Dream would, and of course the hunters world dreamed themselves.

"I never knew what to call that other world. The one I once belonged to. But I learned the term from another, who now resides here. That world was destined to fall, yet I feel its presence—it still stands. I suppose Leo did save it. I am proud of her." Those reptilian-like eyes brightened after speaking the name as she appeared to become nostalgic, recalling memories of a time long ago. "I named this painted world after her. I wonder if she will ever come to visit."

In the span of just a few seconds, Henryk learned so much information, much of which he was actively searching for. This painted world. It must be the painting that his Messengers were referring to. Furthermore, she learned the term Waking World from another. That leaves very few, but in his heart, he hoped that it was his old companion, the Doll. The real one. That left with…

"You know Leo? How wonderful! Do tell her to come visit. I made this world for her, too. It is named after her after all. I am sure she will enjoy it. Perhaps she will stay? Her Fire Keeper has been waiting for her a long time." The young girl offered a placid smile.

The Hunter's eyes widened. What does this all mean? The world around him began to fade away. He was leaving. Damn it all, why now? "Wait, how can I come back here? Where is the Painting?" Henryk called out to the girl, her eyes being the only thing visible as everything became far too faded.

"The Painting burned away long ago…"

Henryk woke from the dream with a pounding headache. He groaned as he sat himself up on the bed, realizing how dry his mouth was, too. The Hunter cursed mentally as he threw the sheets off of himself and turned his body to allow his feet to hit the floor. He propped an elbow against his knee as he leaned into his palm and began to massage his temples. Henryk attempted to recall the dream he had, but it only came in fragments. He remembered snow, a girl, a painting, and Leo. The longer he tried to remember the rest of the dream, the more frustrated he became as it was to no avail. His splitting headache and how aggravatingly parched he was were certainly not helping.

"You're finally up, Henryk," a familiar voice said.

"What do you want, Maria?" Henryk practically hissed the name.

"Oh, irritable now, aren't we?" Maria retained her calm tone. Henryk didn't look up as he heard footsteps walking closer to him before feeling a weight press down next to him on the bed. He kept his head down, even after he felt her head lean against his shoulder, her soft breathing sounding in the otherwise silent room. "You are in quite the predicament, Henryk." For the first time, her tone changed. Maria actually sounded sympathetic. While she never was malicious towards him, she was always somewhat cold and distant.

"Oh, am I now?" Despite her suddenly sounding concerned for him, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. It was taking an incredible amount of self restraint for him not to begin tapping his foot or some fidgety movement. Why was that?

"You are, Henryk," Maria gently reached for the Hunter's hand and clasped it within her own. Henryk was certain that he could feel the heat of her hand in his. "I know your thoughts. I know your feelings. I know you." The Hunter finally looked up from the floor to the youthful woman who sat beside him—one of the first hunters to apprentice under Gehrman.

"How could you know anything? You are in my head. You are not real." Henryk spoke indignantly, his usual calm demeanor escaping him. His stared into her sapphire eyes, trying to convince himself that she did not truly exist here. Yet, he swore he could feel everything she had interacted with. Her footsteps against the floor. Her weight against the bed. He swore he could feel her touch. Her breath. He remembered her lips against his ear. The Hunter squeezed the hand that still remained in his. It was there. Even so, he could ignore all of it to assure himself she did not exist here with him, if it weren't for what he could see before him. In those sapphire eyes, he saw sorrow—regret. He saw the subtle quiver of her lip. He saw her chest rise as she took in a deeper breath. He felt her hand squeeze his back.

"I am real." Maria paused. "Perhaps not here," she leaned closer to Henryk and pressed a hand over his heart. "But I am in here." Her eyes met his, seeing his confusion.

"I am a part of you. I have been since then." Henryk had flashbacks to the time he first met Maria. The anticipation upon walking through the Research Hall. How he opened the Astral Clocktower and saw the woman sitting lifelessly on a chair, the large clockwork behind her acting as a spotlight. How she sprung into life when he approached her. How their fight was almost an elegant dance between the two hunters. How he dealt the killing blow.

"You took in my blood. You have the blood of that immortal queen—my relative—in you, as well. Oh, how it invigorates us." Maria said, almost breathlessly. She picked up her hand from his chest and lifted it to his face, cupping his cheek in her palm. "I am real."

Henryk was in disbelief. How could he have forgotten that he was a Vileblood. The immortal blood of Queen Annalise runs through him. He knew Maria is her relative, even if distant. Lady Maria lives on through him.

"I have been watching over you for a long time," she finally leaned back, letting go of Henryk. "Only now have I decided to speak to you."

"Why?" Henryk finally spoke, the words coming out as if it were a finely sharpened blade.

"Up until now, you have never needed me." Maria spoke gently. While she was always soft-spoken, it was always somewhat curt. "Now, you are forgetting your purpose." She held his hand once again, picking her other hand as well and placing it over his. "But more importantly, you must hunt for your own wellbeing. The Healing Church is guilty of many atrocities, leaving plenty of mistakes in its path to some perceived greatness. I was a part of that, as well. Being with you has cleared my head. Even so, the Nightmare drives on. Above all…I will not let you be another mishap. You have been letting the beast blood get restless. You are becoming irrational. Henryk, go…"

Henryk felt discontent as a wave of fatigue came over him. Maria's voice was fading away. Upon his becoming clear again, he realized that she was gone. The Hunter stood up and looked around once again, but he was truly alone now. His stomach groaned loudly as he grit his teeth. Was this hunger? How bothersome. He remembered the Dining Hall where the students gathered to eat. The Hunter made his way.

Leo was eating with teams RWBY and JNPR once again. She didn't know how it got to this point, but before she knew it, she got caught up in their activities once again. Though, Leo had to admit that it was pleasant company.

"Hey, Leo, just how strong are you?" Yang asked. Her sister nodded excitedly, also wanting to know.

The woman broke away from her thoughts and looked to the two sisters with an eyebrow raised. "That's a strange question."

"Well, Nora has really been talking you up." Weiss said, leaving out the whole zombie part.

Leo looked to the orange-haired girl who grinned unapologetically. Pyrrha bowed her head slightly in Nora's place with a conciliatory smile. She was also to blame for touting Leo's prowess, even comparing her to the Headmaster himself. She still thought it was true, but even so, she felt bad for the position she put Leo in.

The woman with the sunset eyes was not sure how to answer them. "I suppose I am strong enough to say that you all can rely on me." She smiled at them kindly, but a part of her cursed herself for saying that. Who would want to rely on her. Leo pushed the intrusive thought away as she recalled her talk with Headmaster Ozpin.

"I'm sure that's true." Ren noted before returning to his meal. It seemed whenever he spoke, it was to make a point.

Weiss was actually impressed with her answer. She trusted Pyrrha's judgement enough to believe that Leo was powerful, but to compare to the one who helped found the academies? It was difficult to accept. Even so, the woman's answer was humble and fell back to her kind nature. Seemingly all she wants to do is help and Weiss was beginning to believe it as well. At least, she wants to.

"Of course it's true," Nora began. "She needs those muscles to pick up her man." Yang nearly choked before she bursted out laughing, slapping the table while her sister turned as red as her hood. Blake appeared to be containing her laugher and Weiss was simply speechless. Meanwhile Nora's team seemed to take it a lot better, presumably because they've gotten used to Nora's shenanigans.

Leo thought back to her conversation with Jaune before the others rejoined them and glanced at the blond boy, who only rose his hands in defense with a sheepish smile on his face. "Jaune…" Did he say something? It was him that refused to say anything in the first place. This was going to cause misunderstandings. Leo wasn't even sure of how she felt herself because Jaune forced the thought into her mind. The woman sighed to herself.

"Hey, we're just poking fun, teach'." Yang laughed reassuringly. "But hey, how goes the love life anyway?"

"Yang!" Weiss called her teammate's name. Blake held a hand over her mouth, finding the whole situation amusing. Ruby looked away to hide her blushing face, but she made sure to keep an ear out to listen.

"My love life?" Leo said plainly as she began to think. "I don't remember much. I fought for most of it, so love was not something I was really allowed to concern myself with." The woman began to laugh quietly, but it quickly came to a stop when she saw how disappointed everyone became. "Well…There was one." They immediately perked up, almost making her chuckle. Blake seemed particularly attentive to what she had to say.

"Was it Henryk?" Nora couldn't help but tease once again before wincing slightly when Ren pinched her.

Leo began to appear embarrassed for the first time. "Please, stop that." She cleared her throat. "Now that I have to articulate it, I'm not sure if I could call this love, but I suppose it is at least the closest thing to it. When I was forced to fight for a world that didn't even appreciate my existence…it was difficult." The two teams felt sympathetic, but Leo began to smile instead. "But through it all, she was there for me."

The friends began to look at each other. She?

"After every battle, after every defeat, after every victory, she was there for me. Whether it was to console me or celebrate me, she was there. She gave me words of encouragement when I needed them. I had friends as well who taught me and did much of the same, but with her…it was different. I don't know how to describe it." Leo sighed lightly. "Is that satisfactory?"

The woman looked to the others. While there was signs of appreciation for the story, a certain curiosity was far more evident amongst them. "Is something wrong?"

"Leo," Jaune began hesitantly. "Are you—"

"You're a lesbian." Yang said bluntly. Ruby and Jaune immediately stared at her as if she just set off a bomb. "What? That's what you guys were wondering, right? It's not even a big deal, c'mon now."

"I can't say that I am familiar with the term." Leo said, equally curious now.

"It's a term used to describe a woman who is attracted to the same sex." Weiss said matter-of-factly.

Leo gave it some thought before simply shrugging. "I suppose it would have to depend on the person." It wasn't as if she was adverse to the thought of being with a man. Being with anyone wasn't really a liberty she was allowed to have until now. Thinking about it all now was almost enough to give her a headache. Despite it all, Henryk did pop in her mind. "Hmm."

"What the hell?" Yang said, bringing the others' attention to where she was looking. Henryk practically trudged into the Dining Hall looking worse than death. The Hunter smelled the food, but in no way was it appetizing. Appalling would be more accurate. He grimaced and immediately left. Leo frowned at the unsightly man and stood up. "Excuse me. Please, continue on with your day." The woman followed after him.

"Is he sick? Maybe we should check up on him with Leo." Ruby suggested. Yang shrugged while Blake seemed to agree.

"If he's sick, we should just let him rest then." Weiss countered. "Besides, Leo already went after him. You know what they say. Nine is a crowd." That actually earned some laughter from the group, to she was secretly proud of.

Pyrrha's brow was furrowed. She was sure the exact situation she was worried about from a few days ago was surfacing. To think it would occur so soon. Pyrrha stood up abruptly, drawing the others' attention. "We should follow them."

Leo had been following the Hunter for quite some time before he finally stopped in a secluded courtyard. Henryk slowly turned his head, a crimson eye peering over his shoulder at her.

"You have been following me for some time. Did you think I would not notice?" Each sentence was exasperated.

"Well, you took us somewhere out of sight. Saved us a lot of trouble." The warrior said cooly.

It was clear that he wasn't listening. He turned his body toward her as he bent slightly, reaching for the ground. The Hunter pulled a weapon out of the ground seemingly out of nowhere, revealing a crude saw-like weapon. "You are just another skulking beast, stalking its prey." Henryk straightened himself, staring directly into her eyes, showing Leo how dilated his pupils became. There was no talking sense into him. "This will be a sporting hunt." Henryk laughed lowly.

"I promised that I would be the one to keep you in check. I will fulfill that promise. As many times as it takes." Leo wondered why she cared so much. Why she wanted to trust this man so much. Perhaps because he put his faith in her. The warrior reached to her waist to grip the hilt of her reliable longsword, only to find she was grabbing at nothing. She cursed under her breath before the Hunter lunged at her. Leo rolled out of the way, but Henryk was relentless in his pursuit. The warrior clenched her fists, frustrated that she never seemed to have the appropriate equipment with her. The stark white-haired hunter swung the saw at her again, far too quick for her to get out of the way. Instinctively, she went to parry the weapon, picturing a longsword in her mind. At the last second, a clash sounded as a sword of blue energy appeared within her hand, parrying the saw from herself—though it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Holy shit! Is this what you were talking about, Pyrrha?" Yang whispered excitedly from behind a corner, hiding from the fight along with the others. Pyrrha didn't respond. She was focusing on the skirmish, surprised at the capabilities Leo displayed. It looked similar to Velvet's hard light copies, but nowhere near as effective.

"Shouldn't we jump in? This looks bad." Jaune said worriedly.

Blake shook her head. "We don't have our weapons with us."

"We could just make things far worse." Ren stated logically.

"Why don't we get a teacher?" Ruby anxiously suggested.

"What, and snitch?" Nora scoffed. "Besides, they are teachers, remember?"

Leo quickly back-stepped from the Hunter and twisted her body, gripping the air with two hands as if she were holding a greatsword. She pivoted her body as a sword of blue energy—far larger than before—materialized, swinging its blade horizontally. Henryk dodged backwards, but the tip of the magical blade still cut across his chest. Ruby gasped at the sight, but Pyrrha held onto her wrist. "Henryk isn't normal. This needs to be done."

"Is this the Grimm part of him you were talking about?" Weiss spoke, shuttering at the thought. Pyrrha nodded in confirmation.

Henryk growled as he touched the wound with his left hand, looking at the blood that stuck to his fingertips. "You foul beast." The Hunter lunged forward again, showing no signs of slowing down. Leo dodged the attack once again, this time pulling out the chime she always kept with her from her pocket in her left hand. She considered using the Wrath of the Gods miracle, beginning the incantation of the epic tale. The warrior stopped herself, realizing how much damage that would do to their surroundings. She had to minimize the collateral damage as much as possible. The Hunter continued his unrelenting assault, swinging the saw in a calculated manner, despite his state-of-mind. Leo rolled aside, raising her right hand overhead before bringing it down, a giant pitch-black, single-edged blade materializing on the downswing. Henryk quick-stepped to the side out of its way before returning another flurry of attacks. The Hunter managed to slash the serrated weapon into her forearm before he was met with a fist into his stomach, launching him backwards and into the ground as he lost balance.

Leo was panting softly as she took a step back, the blood dripping down from her arm and onto the ground. She watched Henryk slowly stand up, seemingly unfazed from the attack. "Why won't you just stay down for me. Such ridiculous stamina." The warrior shook her head as she prepared herself once again. The Hunter roared as he leaped forward, swiping the saw widely at her. Leo stepped back just enough to be out of its range before planning to retaliate with the Farron Flashsword again. Instead, she heard a mechanism click loudly into place before her side was met with a serrated edge. The warrior winced at the pain, gritting her teeth as she rang her chime, emitting a shockwave that flung the Hunter backwards, bending his knees for stability so that he wouldn't fall over. Leo realized she had to finish this quickly. She had to hold herself back to assure she wouldn't accidentally kill him while he was after her life. In such a fight, she was doomed to fail.

Leo stepped over the Hunter, raising her hand as she muttered a tale of ancient dragonslayers, a stake of lightning taking shape. This miracle should have just enough power to stun Henryk. The warrior brought the stake down, but her eyes widened when she saw a sinister grin across his face. She had made a mistake. Henryk's left hand was already grabbing at the air before pulling out a blunderbuss, bringing its barrel to her torso. Leo wanted to dodge, but it was far too late. The ferocious Hunter pulled the trigger, staggering Leo, causing her to lose grip of the chime as it fell to her side. Henryk reared his hand back before bringing it forth with unreal speed, stabbing it into Leo. Tears welled into her eyes at the pain before the Hunter violently pulled his hand out, ripping out a large chunk of flesh. Leo fell over, clutching at the wound in a hopeless attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Ah, the smell of your sweet blood. It sings to me." Henryk breathed in deeply, seemingly invigorated by its scent. His pupils began to return to normal, an observation that was not lost on the warrior. Leo quickly raised a hand over her mouth as she began to cough a copious amount of blood.

"Leo!" Jaune screamed, appearing from behind cover.

"Jaune, no!" Pyrrha stepped out as well, but the deed was done.

The Hunter turned his attention to the two, the others stepping out as well when their cover was blown. He lunged at them, but was suddenly stopped in his track by a body. Leo managed to get in his way, wrapping her arms around the Hunter's neck. Henryk roared as he stabbed the saw spear through the woman. Blood began to pool in Leo's mouth, the red fluid escaping from the corners of her lips. Ruby covered her mouth at the awful sight, wanting to look away, but she found her eyes glued to the brutality. The others had similar reactions to the macabre scene.

Leo weakly cupped her hands around the Hunter's face before leaning in, appearing to kiss him. The students' failed to understand the gesture—that Leo was forcing Henryk to consume the blood that had accumulated in her mouth after having realized that is what it would take to bring him back to sanity. As he swallowed the blood, Henryk began to come to, dropping the weapons that he held. His vision returned to him, seeing Leo before him, lips against his. She leaned back and studied the Hunter's face before smiling. The Hunter's eyes widened at the bloody sight.

"Welcome back, you fool." Leo whispered as her hands slid off of the Hunter's face before she fell to her knees and onto her side, revealing the children she had protected, who only stared at him in horror.

A/N: Is it obvious that I like Shakespeare? Anyway, when I was almost done with this chapter, I had accidentally deleted it and I panicked. Luckily, it was backed up and I was able to continue on like normal, but that was scary. Other than that, this was a heart-racing chapter to write!

Before anyone points it out, yes Leo was using sorceries without a staff as her catalyst. To be honest, I omitted it because I think that her carrying around a staff would look silly. Hopefully you'll forgive me for not being lore-friendly, but I think this is small enough to not be too big of a deal.

Thanks for reading, and as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.