Chapter 7: Aboard
The Beowulf was now close enough that Blake could see drool drip from its fangs.
Luckily for Blake and Jaune, it hadn't seen them yet- though given its distance, it was only a matter of time. They both lay perfectly still- trying their best not to attract its attention. It was fortunate that this was a young Grimm- mostly mindless, it couldn't understand what a tent was, and Jaune had placed the tent where it would best camouflage with its surroundings.
Still, it lifted its head to sniff the air- it knew something was close. It knew prey was close.
Blake was beginning to hear more sounds far off- larger, probably more intelligent Grimm were getting closer. They wouldn't be able to wait this out.
So they'd have to kill it before it could make a noise.
Blake checked the distance between them and the Beowulf. It was fairly close, but even if she weren't trapped in a sleeping bag, it would still take her several seconds to get to it. She had killed hundreds of these in her huntress career thus far- she knew it would take only a moment after the Grimm saw them to roar an alert to the rest of its horde.
It slowly sniffed the air again- and though it wasn't looking at them directly, its eyes were beginning to wander closer to where they lay together.
Blake wanted to curse, feeling helpless. Assuming she had- at best- three seconds to get there before it reacted- she still had to get out of the deathtrap of a sleeping back, get to Gambol Shroud, get to the Beowulf, and finally kill it. And three seconds was a particularly generous estimate.
Even if she had brought her weapon to bed with her, she doubted she could close the distance in that time anyway. How long would it take her? Five seconds? Four, maybe?
Wait.
Suddenly her mind flashed back to her test with Jaune, where she and Pyrrha had confirmed his semblance. The distance was about the same- but she hadn't been stuck in a sleeping back, nor had she needed to stop and pick up her weapon.
Would she be able to handle it? Could she even make it in time?
Well, she thoughtfully bitterly... it was the only shot they had.
Blake waited for the gentle wind to pick up before speaking, allowing the sound of it on the leaves cover up her voice. "Jaune," whispered Blake, her voice as quiet as she could possibly make it, "I'm going for the kill." She wasn't sure how long the wind would last, so she stuck to only to the most important details. "Focus on me for speed, then count down from three and rip open the sleeping bag."
She felt him gently nod as the wind died down again, leaving only intense silence.
And after a few seconds, she felt his power again, shooting through her. The pool of aura. The electricity in her muscles. But she fought against the urge to move, and stayed completely still.
Slowly, incredibly carefully, she felt his arms move on either side of her. She watched as his hands came together in front of her, each one grabbing fistfuls of the sleeping bag's material.
The sleeping bag was well made- but she had seen Jaune knock an Ursa on its back using only his shield. She had no doubt he could tear it like paper.
"Three..." came the almost silent whisper in her ear. She felt herself tense up, getting ready to move.
"Two..." She focused on her goals- get to her weapon, get to her kill. No false steps, no wasted breath.
"One..." She let the power start to consume her more. She could feel his arms around her begin to tense.
"Go-!" he whispered intensely, and the sleeping bag practically exploded as his hands ripped it in half.
Blake wasted no time. She pushed off of Jaune, reaching an arm out and grabbing the earth, lunging towards Gambol Shroud. She had yet to actually look at the Beowulf- for now, all of her focus was on picking up her weapon.
It felt exactly like the first test with Jaune. She felt like she was kicking away the earth, putting everything she had into what she was doing. Except this time, even more so. Maybe because Jaune was getting more control, but she could feel even more power flow through her.
Her hands found Gambol Shroud, and she turned on the Beowulf, doing everything she could to keep her momentum. Its eyes were locked onto her as she began to run towards it.
The world seemed to move in slow motion as she watched it take in a large breath. This was going to be close. She pushed herself harder, faster than she thought she was able.
It lifted its head to roar an alert to its pack. She unsheathed her weapon, preparing the attack.
It opened its mouth...
But Gambol Shroud's blade was embedded in its neck, and no noise came out.
The Beowulf glanced back down briefly before Blake pulled the blade out of its neck, causing the Beowulf to vanish into nothing.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Blake looked back at Jaune, who was sitting up in the ruined sleeping bag. He looked equally relieved.
Quickly and quietly, they both began to grab their supplies.
Blake's ears flicked in her bow as she heard more Grimm getting closer. "Leave the tent," she whispered to Jaune. "No time to pack it."
"Are you sure?" he whispered back. "That could have been one lone Beowulf..."
"I can hear more," she said. "Close."
He nodded. "It's going to be cold, if we have to sleep out here again."
"I doubt we'll be able to sleep at all," she muttered. Even if they escaped undetected, they would need to put a serious amount of distance between them and the horde. It was going to be a long night after a rough day. "But we can't be too far from Beacon now."
Slinging what they needed over his shoulder, Jaune looked to Blake. "Ready?"
She nodded back at him, and the two began moving carefully away from their tent. Blake took the lead, guiding Jaune away from the multiple sounds she could hear through the brush.
She led them quietly between the trees, through bushes and thickets, always careful to be as quiet as she could. Jaune followed suit.
Given that they only slept half the night before as they needed to keep watch, and that it seemed they would be going all night without rest, both of them were beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. And they had been on the move, almost constantly, for days.
But Blake just ignored her aching body, and kept pushing through. Jaune appeared to be doing the same.
After an hour or two of careful movement, they reached the edge of the trees. Breaking through some brush, they were greeted by a beautiful sight.
"The tower!" said Jaune.
Peeking over a hill was Beacon's main tower. Blake sighed with relief- they weren't very far now.
She checked her scroll- still no service. It didn't matter, really. They could see their destination.
They took a moment to look at one another. Blake noted the bags under eyes which didn't seem to be able to focus very well.
He looked like she felt.
"How are you doing?" she asked him, her voice concerned. "Are you okay to keep moving?"
He gave her a tired smile. "What, you think a little night jog through the woods is going to stop me?"
She smiled back at him, starting to walk out into the field past the forest. "Just making sure you're going to be able to keep up. I don't know about you, but I'm sleeping in a bed tonight."
"Given the state of our sleeping bag, I don't think we have much choice," he muttered wryly, walking next to her. "It's that or the ground." He looked thoughtful. "I wonder how much trouble I'll get in for losing a school tent and destroying a sleeping bag."
"Not anywhere near the amount of trouble you're going to be in with Pyrrha, so I wouldn't worry about it."
He looked concerned. "You think she's going to be mad?"
"For running headfirst into danger? Yeah."
"The note she sent seemed okay."
"Because she's worried about you now. Trust me. As soon as she knows you're safe, she's going to kill you."
He laughed at her phrasing, then sighed. "Well, I guess I've earned it."
She glanced at him with a small smile. "First, real food, then real sleep, then we worry about who's in trouble for what."
"What, you don't like all the chocolate bars I brought?"
"If there was an ounce of chocolate in those things, maybe, but so far as I can tell they're-"
Both Jaune and Blake dropped low in the grass when the heard the screech high above them. Staying as still as they possibly could, they looked up in the night for the source of the sound.
"What was that? Nevermore?" asked Jaune, low in the grass.
Blake scanned the skies. Despite her strong eyesight, it was nearly impossible to pick out a Grimm in the night sky- their pitch black skin was the perfect camouflage in a dark night like this one. They were lucky they had the light of the moon to go on- without it, any airborne Grimm would be impossible to spot.
The moon was eclipsed by something flying- a black outline flashed across it before disappearing into the night again.
"Not a Nevermore," she said quietly.
Another shadow across the broken moon. Then another, and another. These were just the ones she could see- undoubtedly there were more hidden in the night sky. This time she caught the shape of the silhouette.
"What is it?" asked Jaune, tense.
"Griffons," said Blake with certainty.
"How many?"
She thought. "Too many."
"Did they spot us?"
"I don't know."
Another screech- closer this time. Her sensitive ears began to pick up the sounds of large wings flapping above them. She almost cursed aloud- they had been hidden in the woods. If she had known griffons were above them, she would not have stepped out into this field.
"Blake…?" asked Jaune, trying to spot them in the sky.
The sky was filled with the distinctive whistling sounds of large objects dive bombing the earth.
"Run!" yelled Blake, giving up on the stealthy approach. They both ran as fast as they were able towards the tower in the distance- desperate to make it closer to the school, where they could find support and safety.
The whistling and screeching grew louder, but still the Griffons were invisible to them.
Blake looked back to make sure Jaune was behind her, but she didn't dare slow down. He was close to her- his tired eyes intense.
He looked up suddenly. "Blake, look out-!"
Landing so hard the earth around it cracked, a Griffon slammed in front of them. Standing on its hind legs, it screeched again, aching for a fight. Blake almost ran straight into the enormous Grimm's chest.
Using her momentum, she leapt at it, unsheathing Gambol Shroud and slicing at the Grimm's neck. But in her exhaustion, she was slow- and one of its powerful claws swiped her back to the earth.
"Blake!" screamed Jaune, running over to her.
She recovered, frustrated. She had defeated too many of these things to let one beat her now- not when they were so close to home.
She leapt at it again, this time pushing herself as hard as she could- and her weapon found its target. The griffon disappeared to ashes.
But another landed behind where it was- and another landed beside it. And another behind them- then more to their left. They were being surrounded. It seemed to be raining Grimm as they all slammed the earth, screeching at them, itching for a fight.
Blake and Jaune were back to back facing the circle of new threats.
"So much for avoiding the horde," said Jaune to Blake behind him, covering up anxiety with humor. He opened his shield and held his sword in a ready position.
"What," she said, looking back at him and forcing a smile, "You can handle a night jog, but not a little warm up fight?"
He smiled back at her, but then his tone got serious. "I'm going to enhance you- all right?"
"No." Her tone matched his.
He looked over at her. "What…?"
"Save everything you have for yourself. I'll be fine."
"Blake, you look like you're ready to fall over-"
"So do you. Save it."
More griffon continued to land around them, but despite that fact, Jaune genuinely laughed. "No."
"Jaune-"
"Blake… trust me. I can handle it. I can handle enhancing us both."
She felt his power within her. "Jaune! Stop!"
"If I die, you can kill me right after Pyrrha does- okay?"
She glanced back at him- and she was surprised to see his eyes totally calm and confident.
"Trust me, Blake. Do you trust me?"
She didn't answer- her eyes probing his. Around them the griffons were clawing the earth, screeching and roaring, desperate for a fight, but not yet making a move at them.
The question was so simple, and yet Blake didn't say anything. The worst part was, she had asked Jaune to trust her several times in the last couple days, and he always would, without hesitation.
But that was just Jaune being Jaune. Blake wasn't built that way- she had gotten where she was by herself. She didn't need him to bestow his power into her. She didn't need anyone to sacrifice for her.
When she still didn't answer, he just smiled again. "Trust me, Blake," he repeated. As his eyes looked into hers, she could feel the power he lent grow.
One of the griffon behind Blake, seeing that she was turned towards Jaune, seized the opportunity to rush her.
Time was slow again as Blake continued to look into Jaune's eyes. She just gave Jaune a tiny nod before turning towards the advancing griffon.
Time seemed to move at a normal pace again, as she leapt and cleanly sliced into its chest. Empowered by Jaune, she felt back at full form.
The first griffon charging was all it took- suddenly all the griffon that surrounded them were forcing their way towards Jaune and Blake.
Blake, using all her momentum and power, lept around Jaune, using her semblance to confuse the griffons. She tore through each one, but even as she did, two more seemed to take its place.
Jaune, on the other hand, was a rock in the center of the circle- though he was being struck by griffon claws, he pushed them off with his shield, deflecting every blow that came his way.
"We need to break through the circle!" yelled Jaune over the chaotic sounds of battle and the screeching of the Grimm. "We need to get out of here before the rest of the horde gets here!"
Blake appeared to flicker as she moved around Jaune from target to target. Though the rest of the Grimm horde was much slower, there was no doubt they could hear the fighting in the distance and would be running towards it. If they didn't escape this, they would have to face more types than just griffon. Possibly more powerful types.
"Cover me as I push forward!" said Jaune.
He slowly moved towards the edge of the circle of griffon, towards the tower in the distance. Every step he took, Blake had to take thirty- flickering around him and defeating any of griffon that got too close to Jaune. Her abilities heavily enhanced, they could hardly see her, let alone fight back.
Step by step Jaune went, pushing off griffons with his shield and slicing ones close enough with his sword. He was an unshakable wall of defense against their onslaught- and Blake completely ignored her own defense, going full offense.
Another step- and another.
A lucky griffon swiped Blake out of the air, slamming her again to the ground.
"Blake?!"
"I'm fine!" she yelled back at him. She was so exhausted, but she could feel a constant supply of energy flowing from him. How long could she keep this up? How long could he?
She would break through this, and they would go home, and sleep. She would give them an out. She was determined.
But her exhausted body was having trouble keeping up, and a griffon caught her leg in his beak. She screamed out in pain.
She sliced desperately, cutting its eye, and it dropped her.
They kept going- kill after kill, slice after slice, step after step. Trying to break through. But there were so many- and with every attack, Blake could feel Jaune's well of power dry up. Power they both were relying on.
But they were making progress, until finally, only a few griffon stood between them and freedom from the circle they were trapped in.
Blake almost nothing left- but with one last desperate move she swiped at the few Grimm between her and freedom for them both. She killed two cleanly, but the last slammed the full weight of its body on her.
The air was forced out of her lungs as her aura cracked with a horrifying sound.
"Blake!"
The last thing she saw of the fight was a massive claw come down on her face- and a blinding white light.
"Blake? Blake!"
Blake woke with a start.
Jaune's relieved face was only inches away from hers. "Oh thank god. You have got to stop doing that."
She looked around, totally confused. Where were the griffons? Had the rest of the horde caught up with them?
But her surroundings had completely changed. Her back was against a wall in cave. They were very close to its mouth- she could see the cave was high up, overlooking trees. In the distance she could still see the tower of beacon.
"…What… what happened?" she asked, grabbing her head in what she was just realizing was the worst headache of her whole life.
"You broke through the line of griffon. You did it, Blake."
"Yeah, but… how did we-?"
"After you fell, I saw an opening, so I picked you up and… ran."
She looked at him in disbelief. "You outran all those griffons? Carrying me?"
"Not really. You had had done such a number on them- there were so few of them left- that when I stood above you and swung my sword a few times, they took flight again. I think they may have followed me to the treeline, but… I think I lost them after that."
"How long did you carry me?"
He shrugged. "I lost track of time. I also just got regular lost, honestly- I was just looking for any place to hide from the skies." He gestured around them. "This little cave fit the bill."
She really looked him over. He looked beyond exhausted- clearly running on adrenaline.
"I think we're even now," she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple.
"Ah! Wait, don't!"
She blinked at him, removing her hand from her head and looking at it.
And seeing blood.
"Oh." she said simply.
"Hold on," he said, pulling what little supplies they had left. "We need to clean that."
She felt so tired, and finally felt even remotely safe. She couldn't care less about a little scratch. "It's fine, Jaune."
"Yeah," he said, his tone sarcastic, "I remember Goodwitch really harping the lesson that if you're bleeding from the head, it's fine, just go ahead and sleep it off."
Blake shot him a look as he pulled out the water and first aid kit. "You know, I don't remember you ever being this sarcastic."
He smiled at her. "Neither do I. Must be the four hundred mile jog after half a night's sleep."
She chuckled softly. He pulled a small cloth out of the first aid kit and ran water from his canteen over it.
"I'm just going to wipe away some of the blood so I can see the wound, okay?"
She feigned seriousness. "Yes, Nurse Arc."
"Now who's being sarcastic?" He shook the cloth, removing any excess water. "And you couldn't have even made me Doctor Arc?"
"I'll call you whatever you want if you let me sleep."
"What, tired? For some reason?"
"You didn't go on that four hundred mile jog by yourself, you know."
"I did for the last leg- all with you on my back."
There was a pause as she realized the weight of what he had done.
"Jaune..." She said, swallowing. "Thank you."
He shot her an odd look, uncertain what she meant.
"You saved my life," she clarified.
He laughed. "Yeah, after you had made mincemeat out of- what, a hundred griffons? I took down like ten."
"I was only able to stand up because of your semblance!"
"I don't think that's true, Blake."
"Well I still say, no matter how it happened, you saved my life, so we're even."
"I say we each got a point, so I still owe you one. Besides," he said, reaching towards her head with the wet cloth, "I'm counting this as being a servant for you."
She smiled at him. "Can we go back to the feeding me deal? I'll even eat grapes."
"No chance. Now stop whining. This won't hurt at all." He looked sly. "Well, not until I get the antibiotic out, anyway."
She groaned.
The wet cloth touched her forehead and she made a face as she felt how cool it was. But Jaune began to wash the blood away with surprising care and grace. His touch was delicate as he gently wiped her forehead and hair, clearing away the blood so he could see the wound better. He was avoiding the wound for now- so though she knew it would sting soon, at the moment it felt kind of… comforting.
She watched his eyes as he worked. They were focused on the task at hand, carefully watching his hands and her head as he cleaned.
I guess she shouldn't have been surprised- you grow up with as many siblings as Jaune had, you probably helped with your fair share of cuts and bruises. She could imagine him helping a younger sister in this way.
There was something so comforting about him, something so easy to open up to. She couldn't put her finger on exactly why. He was so different from anyone she had ever met, growing up on the street. Or anyone in the White Fang. He was just so… trustworthy.
As soon as the thought hit her, the moment before the battle came to mind again. When he asked her to trust him, and she said nothing in return.
"Jaune."
"Mm?"
"I trust you."
His eyes looked into hers in surprise and the wet cloth froze on her forehead. "Blake, you don't have to-"
"No, I do."
"Come on, don't feel forced to-"
"Jaune, I told you, I'm not going to lie about this stuff. You told me that, remember? That first night. You said I never had to lie to you. I trust you." She swallowed, and he resumed cleaning her forehead, but his face held a mild frustration that he was trying to hide. "I do," she said, softer. She was strangely hurt he didn't immediately believe her.
He removed the cloth from her head- which had gone from it's clean white to a stained red. He used more water from the canteen to clean it off, and started to repeat the process. "Blake," he started, clearly processing his thoughts as he spoke, "You and I- we're… incredibly different people. And that might be putting it mildly. I'm- well, I trust too quickly, maybe. And maybe that's a fault of mine."
"I don't think so," she said.
His reply was a short, dismissive laugh.
"I don't, Jaune. You just put way more faith in others than you do in yourself. But I don't think being trusting is a bad thing. Not with friends."
"Maybe," he said, shaking his head. "And I get why you're hesitant to trust- I get that. I know- a little bit- of how you grew up, and what that was like. About how everything you needed, you had to fight for… on your own. But I just don't feel like- like you really trust me."
"I do! We just fought a horde together- do you seriously think I'd trust just anyone to-"
"Not like that, Blake," he said, softly. "Not in a fight."
"Then how?"
He cleaned her head for a few seconds before answering with his own question.
"Why did you quit the White Fang?"
She felt her heart stop, and she took a beat to look into his eyes. Why would he know to ask…? "What's… that's not- that's not important-"
"I think it is, Blake. I think it's the most important thing. And you've never trusted anyone with it." He removed the cloth from her head, rinsing the blood off it again. "That first day- that first day we spent time together. Under my tree. You said something. You said- you said I was putting on a brave face for those around me.
" But that's not what I remember most- what I remember most is that you said that you understood- you said that maybe nobody understood it as well as you. I didn't really understand what you meant then, but… I think I do now. Because you've been putting on a brave face since they day I met you, haven't you?"
Her eyes were wide as they stared into his.
"I think there's something- I think there's something you've been putting on a brave face for. I think there's something you've never shared. I think there's something you've never trusted… not with anyone, let alone me."
He put the cloth back on her head. His eyes hadn't met hers in some time, but his voice was calm- it was certain.
"When I say I trust you," he continued, "I mean I trust you completely. I mean that there is no part of me I would hide from you. No part of my life I wouldn't share. And no question I wouldn't answer… not if you really wanted to know.. But is that how you feel about me, Blake? Is that how you feel about anyone?"
She just kept staring into his eyes intensely, despite the fact that they stayed focused on her wound. How could he possibly…?
"I want to know what you've been putting a brave face on for, Blake. I want to know what burden you've been carrying all this time… so I can help. But I don't want to force you into anything. I don't want you to share with me because you feel you have to, or… whatever other reason there might be. I only want it if you really, and truly, trust me. And if that's not now, I understand. I get that. But you told me something that day too: You told me if there was something- anything- I needed to talk about, you'd be there to listen. I'm making the same offer now. And if it's not now- if it's next week, or next month, or next year, or ten years away- the offer still stands. I'll always be ready to listen. When you really, and fully, trust me."
Removing the cloth from her head, he finally looked back into her eyes. "There's nothing you could have done to make me think any less of you, Blake. Nothing."
There was a pause as they both stared into the other's eyes, until finally, he spoke again.
"Why did you quit the White Fang, Blake?"
Blake stared at him for a few more minutes as he went back to cleaning her head. She was mostly in shock. Nobody, in her whole time at Beacon, had ever guessed any of that about her. It was the reason she felt she needed to correct all the wrong in the world. It was the guilt she carried around with her, always.
Was she ready to talk about this? This was the most defining moment of her life. This was everything, and she had kept it hidden away for so long.
Could she really talk about it? Would Jaune really, and truly, not think of her differently?
No, she thought grimly. Anyone would think of her differently.
Still. Telling Jaune her relatively minor confessions had felt… relieving. Would telling him this…?
"Jaune, I…" She wanted to say more- to let him know all she was thinking- but it was too complicated. Any and all words failed her.
"It's okay, Blake. When you're ready. Tell me when you're ready."
She blinked at him. Would she ever be ready for this? Would she ever truly be comfortable saying it aloud?
Or did she just have to take a chance, and really… trust someone for once?
"Okay," she said, taking the dive. She closed her eyes as he continued to clean her wound. "Okay. I lied."
"You…?"
"I lied, earlier. When I told you- the bookstore burning- when I told you I didn't give into my anger? When I told you all I wanted was for humans to see- see what they were doing?"
"Y- yeah…?"
"I lied. I'm sorry. I told you I wouldn't, but I did... I did give into my anger. I was angry when I joined the White Fang, Jaune. More angry than anything. More angry than I thought possible. Angry enough to do something drastic. Angry enough that I would... that I would do anything." She swallowed- such a large part of herself was dying to push him off, to ignore the question. She could feel her heart pounding.
But she pushed forward. "Angry enough that I was willing to kill."
Author's Notes:
...
-james
